Five Kingdoms for the Dead Original
by Evil Is A Relative Term
Summary: The original version of Five Kingdoms, reposted. Sakura comes to a realization in the Forest of the Dead, but strength comes with its own problems.
1. Time for a Change!

A/N: I want to thank everyone who reviewed my first story. Thanks guys!

Five Kingdoms for the Dead

Disclaimer: All copyright belongs to the appropriate parties, in which I am not included.

What if Sakura had an epiphany in the Forest of Death and refused to be weak then rather than waiting until Sasuke left? See how one decision can change everything. Story begins during the month of training during the chunnin exams.

Chapter One

Time for a Change!

Sakura idly kicked her feet against the wall she was currently sitting on top of. She has just returned from a rather unproductive visit to the hospital where Sasuke had been moved after the last round of the chunnin exam. Sakura sighed, blowing candy floss hair away from her face. He had already left when she had arrived with Ino. Kakashi was nowhere to be found, but Naruto had told her that he had been planning on training Sasuke exclusively for the next month. That was right before Naruto had disappeared with the mysterious sensei he had acquired after ridding himself of the one Kakashi had found to train him. Now she was the only one left. A small part of her was very bitter about that fact. Even though Choji hadn't made it past the preliminaries Asuma hadn't stopped his training. The only reason Ino hadn't been engaged in training was because she was helping her mother at her flower shop this afternoon.

Despite the fact that she had celebrated when she was placed in a team with Sasuke, she was beginning to think the Hokage had done her a great disservice by placing her in Team Seven. Even among the genin it was like they were in a different league. Except for Sakura. Sakura, whose only strengths were her control and a vague ability to recognize genjutsu after Kakashi's trick during her survival training. She was the weakest, the only one who couldn't turn to her family to teach her more, the only one who didn't have some sort of inheritance to capitalize on, like Ino or Sasuke, or even unbelievable chakra like Naruto. So what was she left with? Sitting on a crumbling concrete wall that had seen better days watching the clouds float by apparently.

She almost fell off that perch when a familiar voice declared, "What a way to waste the flower of your youth! You should be training in the burning fires of youth rather than sitting here wasting it!"

When she had finally regained her balance, both literal and metaphoric over Guy's Dramatic Entrance, she managed to say with only slight bitterness, "There's no one left to train with."

"Eh?"

One of the fearsome black eyebrows rose into his hairline and she explained rather sullenly, "Kakashi and Sasuke are training out of town. Naruto's out training too."

"Mmm. I see your problem." He said contemplatively, his hand coming up to rub at his chin. "But," and he suddenly struck his Nice Guy pose and Sakura felt a frisson of fear run through her spine, "have no fear! The blossom of your youth shall not wither in vain! For you shall train with me!" Sakura had to blink to clear her vision from the accompanying teeth sparkle that accompanied the statement.

That statement was the start of what she was sure was going to be one of the worst months of her life. Sakura had never felt any burning ambition to learn taijutsu, which was Guy's specialty, but her protests fell on deaf ears. Guy dragged her off the wall to a training area she was unfamiliar with near a river "So," he asked, "what are your strengths?"

"Chakra control and..." before she could mention anything else Guy cut her off.

"Chakra control, hmn. Something I can work with! Kakashi probably had you do the tree climbing exercise, knowing him. How long did it take you?"

"Well, I got to the top on the first try, but..." again she didn't get to finish her sentence and Sakura was beginning to wonder if the effort was futile.

"First try? Impossible!" Guy said, once again rubbing his chin in what Sakura had privately labeled his Thinking Guy pose, as he seemed to have a pose for everything else. "All right!" he stated, punching his fist into the air, "then let's move onto the Water Walking exercise. By that point I'll have a strategy for your training."

Sakura looked dubiously at the flowing water, but she was sure that it could be done if he had asked her to do so. Her knowledge of chakra told her that this would be more an exercise in the flow of her chakra more than anything if it was possible, so her first footsteps were hesitant. After seeing that she didn't sink she walked with more confidence. The gentle movement of the water was easy to adjust to. She could feel the water's own chakra pressing against her feet, which was what allowed her to walk on the surface of the water. It was also the force of that chakra that she matched with her own. "This is too easy." she muttered to herself. "What's the catch?" She turned to ask Guy-sensei but he was watching her with wide eyes. "What?" she snapped defensively.

He snapped back into a more normal pose. "Nothing. However, I have a strategy. We have a month, and in that month you're going to learn more than you ever did at the Academy. We'll get you some starter weights this morning. Arm and leg, to increase your speed, strength, and stamina. We'll add more weight as I see fit. Along with basic stamina and endurance exercises, you'll be learning a very unique mix of taijutsu. I'm going to teach you five different styles, one from each of the Great Shinobi nations."

Sakura, now safely back on dry land, asked hesitantly, "Why five styles? Wouldn't it be easier for me to try and learn one, given that we only have a month until you'll have to start training with your team again? Why aren't you training them anyway?"

Guy held up a finger. "Lee is in the hospital and Neji and Tenten are both advanced enough to not need my supervision while they train. About the five styles, yes, it would normally take you far longer than a mere month to master any one style, let alone five. However, with your chakra control and your memory I will be able to teach you all five. Everything else is just practice. Now, let's go get you some weights and we'll begin."

"Now?" Sakura asked incredulously.

"No time like when the fires of youth are burning bright!" Guy declared and headed back through the forest from which they had just come. Sakura allowed her head to droop as she followed, thinking sadly that this sensei was going to ruin her patience with Kakashi-sensei forever. That was if she survived the next four weeks.

Sakura was being equipped with weights that she was sure were going to make walking impossible and pull her arms out of her sockets when the Hokage entered the room. He chuckled at her struggle to lift a foot and asked good naturedly, "Training?"

Inner Sakura muttered something rather sarcastically about asking him why exactly he thought she was doing this if not for training, but she simply nodded politely.

"Yes," Guy said, "she'll be studying taijutsu with me for the next month."

The Hokage nodded sagely as he asked, "So, what style taijutsu will she be learning?"

Guy explained his training plan again with enthusiasm as Sakura grimly wondered if her arms were going to fall off. The Hokage, however, appeared to be listening with great concentration, pulling at his beard and nodding occasionally. As Guy reached the end of his explanation, he asked, "Have you decided which Leaf Village style to teach her yet?"

"No." Guy said. "I hadn't planned on deciding which five until tomorrow, after I've decided which ones she'll be able to master the most quickly."

"A wise decision. However, I suggest that you do not do so. Rather, choose ones that emphasize chakra control, even if they are difficult for even jounin to master. I believe you will be pleasantly surprised." Sakura listened in a state approaching disbelief. Did he want Guy-sensei to kill her? "As for the Leaf style, I suggest Closed Fist."

Even Guy looked surprised at that. "But, Lord Hokage, only one of the Sannin has mastered Closed Fist. I can't teach her something even I haven't mastered!"

"You won't have to." The Hokage answered composedly. "I will." Sakura and Guy's jaws both dropped open. "With the appropriate chakra control, it won't take me long to teach her. Sakura, report to the Hokage Tower at about three this afternoon. I'll be there to give you your first lesson." Sakura couldn't move as he walked from the room, but Guy recovered remarkably quickly.

"Well, we'll have to get started so you aren't late for your lesson. Now come! Let us run while the fires of youth burn hot in our veins! To the training grounds!" In the manner of one used to obeying commands, Sakura took a step forward, but toppled ungracefully to the ground. "Hurry!," Guy-sensei urged, "Those weights are only equal to your body weight! They are like feathers!" With murder in her heart and fire in her eyes, Sakura pulled herself to her feet.

By three that afternoon that fire in her eyes had turned to cold ashes from sheer exhaustion and she'd decided that murder was out the question. It was too nice a fate for Guy-sensei. She didn't think she'd ever been worked so hard in her life and this was only the first day. Guy had studied her movements and apparently decided which styles he'd teach her, because before dismissing he had disappeared, only to reappear with arms full of scrolls which he had shoved at her with instructions to memorize for tomorrow. After managing to make it home to dump what had to be at least ten scrolls on her bed, she was tempted to fall into it herself, but she gritted her teeth, readjusted her weights and made her way to the Hokage Tower.

She was directed to the grounds behind them, where the Hokage stood patiently. "Tired?," he asked sympathetically.

Sakura couldn't help but nod. The cool breeze had dried the worst of the sweat but her hair was sticking to her face. Sakura swore to herself she would pull the loose strands into a ponytail at the base of her neck tomorrow if she lived through today.

"Well," the Hokage chuckled, "let's see just how quick and bright you are." After describing what she had to do with her chakra he stepped back to watch. Sakura faced the target squarely, but had her stance quickly corrected. Apparently her general opening stance wouldn't do for any of the specialized taijutsu styles, because each required you to be prepared for a different type of movement. After beginning again correctly, Sakura focused her chakra and then punched. The wooden target shattered and Sakura gaped. Even the Hokage gave a small gasp of surprise. Then he laughed, drawing her attention to him. "Well, it appears you are very bright indeed." After an hour and a half of instruction he let her go and Sakura walked home even more slowly than she had left. Mastering the forms apparently wasn't her greatest problem. After seeing something done once, Sakura could almost always repeat it, due to her understanding of the basic mechanics of jutsu. She could also pick up something once it was explained to her at an incredible pace, but her problem tended to be in the stamina it took to use it. Her chakra supply was pitifully low. Even that short session had left her almost barren.

After arriving home and taking a much appreciated shower, Sakura set about doing several things. One was pulling her hair into a neat tail at the base of her neck to ensure that it was out of her way. The style would look silly for a while, but her hair grew quickly and it kept it out of her face, which was what mattered. A few strands blowing into her field of vision cost her precious moments that could prevent a blow from being landed. Mostly Guy-sensei's blows on her Inner self muttered and she absently rubbed a large bruise forming on her upper arm. Guy-sensei had been right about the weights at least. After learning how to move with them, she tended to forget she was wearing them. At least until she moved again.

Her next task involved putting stinging disinfectant and ointment onto her hands. At least she knew why Lee always wore bandages on his now, she thought ruefully as she

performed a similar wrapping on her own. She clenched her fist to ensure she could move her hands properly. At least no one was going to be accusing her about caring for her looks for a while she thought as she caught sight of herself in the mirror. She hadn't even considered her appearance after Guy-sensei had dragged her from that wall. It was a surprisingly sobering thought. Everything she had ever done for a long time had been for someone else. To get somebody to like her, like Sasuke, or for Ino's approval. Sakura clenched her fist again and swore that this time, she was doing this for herself.

Sakura was forced to raid her closet after that, because while her red dress was very pretty, it wasn't convenient. It tangled between her legs, costing her precious seconds. She laid out a sleeveless, zip-up top in black and her usual form fitting shorts out for the next day. She could spend time customizing her look when she had more time for it. For now, the top, which she sometimes wore under her red dress on chilly days for another layer would work. It fit closer to her form and would be less likely to snag on branches or offer a hold. She really didn't like black, but it was a color that wouldn't give her away so easily either. However, when she was finished with Guy-sensei tomorrow she fully intended to buy several in a similar style in a different color. Green maybe. It would look better with her eyes and- she ruthlessly crushed that train of thought. From now on she was a ninja. She could go ahead and buy the shirts in green because it was the best camouflage, but not because it looked good with her eyes. For that matter, she might buy a few more in black for use. The Hokage had either threatened her with or promised her a few lessons with a tracker-nin in using her extraordinary chakra control to sense her enemy even in complete darkness, which probably meant some night lessons. She had enough money saved up to do it.

The scrolls turned out to be scrolls on the human anatomy and how different nerve centers and vital points could be used to create different effects. There were notations all over the diagrams that almost made her gag. She was grateful she hadn't learned some of this stuff before, but she simply took a deep breath and committed it all to memory as easily as she had learned the Shinobi Rules of Behavior in the Academy. She studied until she fell asleep, sprawled out in exhaustion without even bothering to clean up the mess.

Some time later something tapped against her window and she simply muttered and turned over. She murmured in contentment when the noise didn't come again, but then something tapped against her shoulder. She opened her eyes and realized someone was standing over her. She choked back a scream and took a few deep breaths, feeling foolish the instant she realized it was Guy-sensei.

"Well, it looks like you need a few lessons on being aware your surroundings at all times." he commented and Sakura managed not to groan. She ran a hand through tangled hair and looked at her window. A frown came onto her face.

"It's still dark out." she said.

"If the sun is up before you are, you're late!" Guy-sensei proclaimed. "Meet me outside the gates in half an hour with your flames of youth burning high!" With a slight_poof_ sound he disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Sakura dared a glance at her clock and immediately wished she hadn't. It was 4:30 a.m. If she hadn't been so tired she might have been outraged. As it was it

took all her willpower to pull herself out of bed and splash some water on her face and brush her teeth. She was unhappily awake as she quickly cleaned up the scattered scrolls and made her bed. Instead of the half hour she had once spent brushing her hair alone, she simply brushed all the tangles out and pulled the short pink strands into a low tail at the base of her neck and found a black hair tie to secure them. She changed into the outfit she had assembled. If she allowed herself to peek in the mirror, she found that it didn't look bad, just a bit more solemn than she was used to. After some scrambling for her kunai and shuriken holsters she was ready to go, taking the window rather than risking waking her parents, who despite not being ninja were incredibly light sleepers.

As she perched on the window sill Sakura felt a curious feeling. It took her a moment to place it because it seemed so out of place. Happiness. She realized that she was happy to be doing this, that this was what it was to be a ninja, rather than hair and boys. So with gladness in her heart she leapt down to the streets below. The next four weeks were hard, but the satisfaction she gained from them made it worth it. She had managed to shock both Guy and herself with the alacrity with which she had picked up the four styles he taught to her. And at least one of them, the one that was uncomfortably familiar, though she didn't tell Guy that, involved some very nasty things she had never really considered before. Just how easy it was to kill, how precarious a thing a life was. And the lessons with the Hokage were becoming her favorite time of day. He taught her to use her chakra to perform inhuman feats of strength and destruction, but he also lectured on other jutsu as well. She figured out his title as the 'Professor' was well earned. While she pummeled practice dummies he was always lecturing on some subject or the other, giving her new insights and information.

The Closed Fist style he taught her had been famous by one of his students, one of the legendary sannin. The only other style that she had recognized as Guy taught it to her was the Silent Kill technique. The version she learned was a modified one, the principles of the style applied to taijutsu. It worked well only for single enemies, or in conjunction with jutsu similar to the Hidden Mist technique that Zabuza had used during Team Seven's battle with them. It required absolute stealth, which turned out to be more than simply silence, but also cloaked chakra. Sakura tried very hard not to dwell on why she was being taught these things and even Guy-sensei had seemed unusually subdued as she had practiced on his shadow clones. The Silent Kill wasn't something you could practice on an actual person. The was the only style she worked on weapons with, because it made it far easier than using her chakra in very specific ways to produce fatal force.

Her least favorite style was the one from Rain, the Crane Dance, the very formal, stylized movements which focused on doing the most amount of damage with the least amount of blows. Similar to the Hyuuga Gentle Fist technique, except that it focused on nerve centers as well as the chakra network. That and she didn't have the advantage of a kekkai genkai to allow her to actually see what she hitting. The one from Earth, the Breath of Stone, focused almost absolutely on defense and the solidity of her stance. It required a patience she was forced to develop, because it taught to allow your enemies to strike first and wait until they opened themselves up to strike. The key to its almost invulnerable defense against regular attacks was the use of chakra to allow the force behind a hit to dissipate across the entire body, rather than at

a focal point. That meant blows that otherwise would have thrown her to the ground could be endured with only a vague tingling sensation as the force of the hit was absorbed.

Sakura's best and the style she took to most easily was the style from Wind, despite what a master of the discipline could do to the human body. Shifting Sands was fought with the body beginning in a loose stance that almost looked like boredom, but really was meant to allow the body to drop fluidly or dodge with the least amount of necessary movement. In this style there was no throwing herself to one side like she could in Closed Fist. All movements were swift and flowing, like sand pouring from an hourglass. The stance was lower than normal, focusing heavily on attacks in the legs and a more open palm style. Its secret was the way the chakra behind the blows was applied. Her final test for mastery of the style had her kick a tree. She had and the tree had exploded. In Closed Fist the entire tree would have been destroyed, blowing outward in dangerous splinters the size of swords. In Shifting Sands the truck just behind her point of impact had been vaporized, but the bark where her foot had just touched was left intact. The secret wasn't brute force like Closed Fist, but in absolute control of how her chakra interacted with the tree's own. The blows themselves were light with almost no muscle force behind them. There were two levels of Shifting Sand. One could be used in regular combat with a different field of chakra, or without chakra at all in practice where the deadly blows were whisper light, and the fatal version that could be used to destroy enemy ninja with minimal effort.

The day of the exams Sakura woke well before dawn, as her training with Guy-sensei had gotten her accustomed to. She smiled happily, because even this was a small victory, being able to pull from sleep directly into awareness of her surroundings. Her thoughts trailed aimlessly as she completed her usual laps around the village, seeing no one but the guards. She'd parted rather touchingly from Guy-sensei yesterday, knowing that Kakashi-sensei would take over her training again once he returned. He'd grinned and suggested they not actually tell his rival he'd been training his student and see how long it took him to notice. Sakura, more confident in expressing her violence and sarcasm after a month of his strange pronouncements on the subject of youth had agreed. She returned to her house as the sun began to rise and the city to wake. Normally she didn't bother with a shower after her morning routine, because it was pointless when she was just going to get sweaty and dirty afterword, but today she thought she would like to look at least presentable. So after a quick shower she returned to her room.

Even her shower habits had changed. She had loved the expression on her mother's face when she had stopped using scented soap and shampoo after being beaten into the ground one too many times after Guy-sensei had detected their telltale scent. Her bed was already made and everything tidy. There was a new photo on the vanity of Guy-sensei and herself together, along with a bunch of scrolls the Hokage had basically dumped on her yesterday that basically covered the entire surface. She had been baffled at the time, because normally he only loaned her the occasional scroll, but he had explained that these were a gift. Sakura couldn't wait to find out exactly what they contained, but she hadn't found time to even break the seals yet.

Even though a month ago she would have taken the time to put together a cute outfit no matter how tired she was, she had fallen straight into bed after she showered. Goodbyes to Guy-sensei and the Hokage were apparently just an excuse to push her to her limits. So she simply

pulled on her usual sleeveless top, this one in a deep forest green almost exactly the color of the leaves of the most common tree in the Village Hidden in the Leaves when they were in shadow. Her fitted shorts went on next. Now that she was basically dressed, she untangled her hair and pulled it into its now habitual low ponytail.

She had tried wearing it in different styles, but this had kept the hair out of her face the best and had discouraged Guy-sensei from using it as a hold. Her hair had grown several inches in the last month, so now at least it didn't look quite as silly as it had. Her bangs had been allowed to grow out as she grew used to ignoring her hair in front of her face. They still framed her face, but not nearly as neatly as before. Now strands fell across her forehead and down across her eyes, but she was practiced at seeing with that handicap. In fact, she had found her bangs could be very useful when used to hide the expression in her eyes that sometimes still gave her away just before she attacked. She simply tilted her head downward and allowed the long pink strands to fall in front of her face, hiding the gleam or whatever it was that told Guy-sensei she was about to attack long after she had stilled the obvious signals of her body.

She caught sight of herself in the mirror and smiled at the reflection looking back. She hadn't even noticed her weights until now, she was so used to wearing them. They didn't look like much, just white arm- and leg-warmers trimmed in black, similar to what Sasuke had worn the last time she had seen him. They held a lot of weight at this point in her training. Her hands were still bandaged up to her forearms, but they disappeared under the arm weights, so they weren't that obvious. She had thoughts occasionally into buying a pair of gloves, because the weights protected her forearms well enough, but she hadn't found the time. Her entire body was slimmer, leaner and her cheekbones were more pronounced from the intensity of the training she had been undergoing.

She hadn't decided on where it was best to wear her headband now. Leaving it at the top of her head as a hair band seemed redundant now that it was always tied back anyway, but it was almost her statement, so she left it where it was. Sakura bit her lip as she prepared to leave. She knew she was only watching, but it still seemed strange to leave without weapons. Even though her training was in taijutsu, Guy-sensei had not allowed her to neglect any of her other skills. She ruminated on it as she transferred the scrolls the Hokage had given her into scroll boxes. As she did she noticed several were yellowed with age, which increased her curiosity about them but failed to answer her question.

After a few moments she snorted, disgusted with herself. If enemy ninja decided to attack in a stadium full of ninja she would kill one of the ones stupid enough to do so with a few select taijutsu moves and take his weapons. She was about to step out her door when that irritating voice that represented her Inner self voiced worries about the weight, balance, and style of said stupid enemy ninja's weapons. After one solid bash of her head against her doorframe she grabbed her various pouches and placed them in their accustomed spots. A few minutes rummaging in her recently stripped down closet, when she had removed everything that would interfere with movement, found a black overskirt to break up her overly lean silhouette and hide the number of weapons she was carrying into the stadium. It barely cleared her hips in the front but went to her knees in the back, beyond the point where her shorts ended. Sakura grimaced as the fabric tickled the backs of her knees and tried to console herself with the fact that it might

hinder someone trying to slash the important ligaments there. She also vowed to get rid of it the moment she had to do any real fighting.

"Have a nice day!" her mother called from somewhere in the house as Sakura gently closed the door. The vendors in the streets were doing a brisk business. Some were doing brisk business in weapons, others in souvenirs, but the busiest were those serving breakfast. Looking at the sun Sakura realized she had at least an hour before she could reasonably expect to be allowed in the stadium, so she idly stopped at a few stands and inspected the wares.

"Hey Sakura!" A voice called from her left. Sakura turned and saw Ino waving at her from in front of her mother's flower shop.

Sakura smiled and made her way over to her friend. "I haven't seen you in forever and..." Ino stopped and seemed to take in something, which Sakura realized must be her appearance, "What did you do to yourself?" Ino asked.

Sakura shrugged and gave her another brilliant smile. "Training. Come on Ino-pig, you know you don't want to hear about it." she said teasingly.

"You're totally right forehead girl, I don't. So have you heard anything from Sasuke yet? They still hadn't found him last time I heard." Ino commented, pulling her along the street that was beginning to get crowded.

As she reflected on it, Sakura realized the last time she had actually thought about Sasuke was this morning when she had compared her weights to his arm-warmers. Hardly a flattering thing. She giggled at the thought and Ino looked at her strangely, but Sakura just shook her head and continued following Ino's lead. She had actually thought about Naruto more than she had him during her training, reminding herself of Naruto's unfailing spirit. It had become a personal mantra for a short while-if Naruto can get up from this and try again I can too. But really, thoughts of both her teammates had been at a minimum. And for that Sakura was glad. She had finally realized at some point in all that sweat and blood that she was just making a fool of herself over Sasuke. Something she would never allow herself to do again.

"Hey Sakura, are you even paying attention?" Ino asked, waving a hand in front of her face.

"Sorry." Sakura returned sheepishly.

Together the two girls wasted the better part of an hour. Ino was only curious for about the first fifteen minutes, asking about the bandages on Sakura's hands and such, but soon getting caught up in the festival atmosphere, just as Sakura was. The day seemed to fly past, with Naruto's dramatic entrance and victory over the Hyuuga prodigy and Ino nearly screaming her ear off during Shikamaru's match. There was a moment when she thought Sasuke wasn't going to make it, but he appeared at the last moment, looking eager. Sakura had expected to feel some sort of overwhelming relief, but all she thought was that he was trying to make his entrance as dramatic as Naruto had made Shikamaru's. If the cursed seal was bothering him, he wasn't

showing it. Sakura thought they had probably found a way to seal it, otherwise he wouldn't be here.

"Hey." A voice said from behind her.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura said happily.

A/N: Until next time!

Breath of Stone (Earth): Technique that is based on strong defense. The user uses chakra in order to dissipate the force of a blow across the entire body, rather than allowing all the force to be kept at the impact site. This form emphasizes waiting for your enemy to attack first and waiting for them to expose their weaknesses rather than striking first.

Shifting Sands (Wind):Technique that emphasizes fluid, deadly movement. The user is required to have absolute control of their chakra, because each strike is only light, but chakra is released in specified patterns which can cause the target to dissolve or explode without ever breaking the skin touched. This form is low to the ground and utilizes the legs and a more open palm technique than other styles as well as being executed at superior speeds.

Silent Kill (Mist): Technique that strikes at fatal points in the body. Modified as a taijustsu form, but each blow is meant to be fatal. This style emphasizes silent movement, often used in conjunction with jutsu that blocks certain senses. This form is only used when the user is willing to kill an opponent rather than simply defeat them.

Closed Fist (Fire): Technique that uses chakra for super strength. Style and fluidity are abandoned for brute strength. Known for its unpredictability due to its chaotic forms, which emphasize doing as much damage as possible with regards to little else. The movements of this style are quick and jerky, and the approach is aggressive.

Crane Dance (Rain):Technique that uses a series of very formal approaches or 'dances'. The most remarkable feature of this taijutsu is the speed with which it is executed, because the style requires that the user strike at nerve centers in the opponents body. This entails a very thorough knowledge of the human anatomy, similar to the Silent Kill technique.


	2. The Chunin Exams: Part Three

Five Kingdoms for the Dead

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Except maybe the computer I wrote this on.

A/N: Thanks to all who review. Your encouragement and criticism are appreciated. Well, read and enjoy!

Chapter Two

The Chunnin Exams: Part Three

Kakashi had spotted his other student's tell-tale pink hair immediately, next to the other two members of Asuma's team. He had appeared behind her, expecting some sort of worry about her precious Sasuke or anger at his leaving without a word, but all he had received was a genuine smile after she recovered from her surprise. His visible eye blinked as he tried to take in the differences he noticed immediately. The first and foremost being that she had learned to hide her chakra signature from somewhere. Others catalogued themselves as neatly as if she was a jutsu he was learning with the Sharigan. The hair she had been so proud of, that she had chopped off and had been letting fall around her face in messy layers, was now pulled back neatly. The bangs that framed her face, once brushed so carefully into place, now fell messily in front of her eyes like she couldn't be bothered to brush them away. The cheerful naiveté in her eyes now was laid over a layer of cool calculation he felt was assessing him as quickly as he was assessing her. Anyone else would probably have missed it, but he knew it was there.

The trademark red dress was gone, replaced by an outfit in green and black. Even though the threat of attack here was fairly low, she had brought weapons. And there was a boneless readiness to her stance that somehow suggested she was ready to move at any moment. She was thinner than he remembered as well, like she hadn't been eating. His eye narrowed. Or like she had been training.

"Kakashi-sensei?" her voice was questioning now, and he realized he had been analyzing her rather obviously, which went to show just how nervous he was about Sasuke's participation in this exam.

"Sorry." He scratched the back of his head rather sheepishly.

"Hm." Sakura broke their gaze and turned back to the stadium thoughtfully. "You missed a really good match. Naruto beat Neji so badly they had to carry Neji out. For a guy who can see anything he looked pretty blindsided." Kakashi blinked again and noticed both Chouji and Ino were staring at Sakura as well.

"Well, sorry about that. I guess I probably should have kept in touch." Ino looked like she was waiting for Sakura to explode at that, but his student just shrugged.

"It's all right." Sakura simply continued to stare thoughtfully down onto the field.

The match began just as Kakashi expected it to, although he didn't anticipate the arrival and subsequent comments of his 'rival'. And he definitely hadn't anticipated the arrival of Naruto, shouting about stopping the match. However, he wasn't worried. Everything was going well, right until the felt the tell-tale twinges of genjutsu. Immediately releasing it he looked for the source, but was distracted by the smoke and dust from the balcony on which the Hokage had been watching. He felt better as he saw the ANBU leap into action, but still, his senses were telling him something was wrong.

His senses were proved right again as Kabuto revealed himself. Then they screamed in alarm as two Sound ninja leapt at Sakura, who had apparently broken the genjutsu on her own. He was just about to leap in front of her, but she took action on her own. Leaping straight up into the air, she aimed a kick at lightning speed at the nearer Sound nin's head. The next surprise after her speed came when, from his point of view, she had barely connected; she reversed directions and dropped into a smooth crouch on the floor. His answer came as the back of the ninja's head appeared to simply explode as she brought her foot away. Even as she was watching she rose in a smooth striking motion to come up behind the other ninja. In a smooth, flowing movement that left him wondering when she had moved she jabbed her middle and index just at the base of the other ninja's skull. Kakashi was less surprised this time when the ninja's jaw and most of his neck blew apart in a rain of blood and brain matter. But the gasp from Kabuto was audible even as the first ninja died in a twitching mass.

Sakura felt sick to her stomach, even as she fell automatically into the pose of boneless readiness at the heart of Shifting Sand. She carefully avoided looking at the bodies. People were different from wooden dummies, from trees. Sap had never run this crimson that now lay scattered across the ground. She thought vaguely that Ino was going to have a fit about her ruined shirt when she woke up.

"Sakura Haruno. I must say that I am impressed." Biting her tongue, Sakura looked towards the familiar voice, noting the silver hair within the cowl. "My cards aren't often wrong. But I must say that they didn't include your little skill."

"Kabuto." she returned, surprising herself at how cool her voice sounded, like she spent all day causing general destruction and mayhem.

"Sakura." She turned her attention to Kakashi without taking her eyes off Kabuto, catching a thrown kunai without bothering to turn her head. The solid metal felt comforting in her hand, even though she was capable of feats that didn't need this tool. "Sasuke's chasing Gaara and the other Sand ninja. I need you to release the jutsu on Shikamaru and Naruto and go after them. It'll be the first A-rank mission since the Land of Waves. Of course," he deadpanned, "after that little display I can say your chances of success have increased dramatically. Also perhaps not quite as dramatically as the explosion of the first ninja."

Ignoring his last statement Sakura leapt to where Naruto and Shikamaru had collapsed. Giving Shikamaru an idle glance she stiffened. _Is he pretending?_ With a swift kick with no chakra behind it and a yelp from Shikamaru, she concentrated on waking Naruto.

"What's happening?" he asked as he shot up, only to be shoved down again as a kunai flew over his head.

"Sasuke's chasing Gaara. We're going to chase Sasuke." Sakura explained.

"How are we going to find him?" Naruto asked curiously.

"You'll be following Pakkun here." Kakashi said. A small brown dog with the cape and headband that was common to all Kakashi's summoned dogs.

"I'll warn you three ahead of time that I won't be doing any fighting." he growled.

"How troublesome." Shikamaru muttered.

"Well, who was the one pretending to be under the genjutsu." Sakura said, glaring at Shikamaru.

"Right then." Guy said, smashing a Sound ninja through the wall and creating quite the opening.

"You know your mission. Come back alive." Kakashi said.

"Wait. What's going on?" Naruto asked. With a low growl Sakura grabbed his collar and pulled him through the opening and she heard Shikamaru's protest as Pakkun dragged him along.

She explained their situation as well as she could as they rushed through the trees in pursuit of their objective. Sakura swallowed all her irritation at how much she was slowed by their presence. Was this what Sasuke and Naruto had always felt, waiting for her? She made another vow as she raced through the trees of her homeland. They would never have to wait for her again.

Pakkun broke her train of thought as he announced that they had nine ninja following them.

Sakura stopped immediately, her bangs swishing in front of her face. Naruto and Shikamaru looked back at her, both of them simultaneously, and for the first time noting her changed appearance. "I'll go." she said quietly.

"What?" Naruto shouted.

"Now this is troublesome. Sakura, you can't. I'm the only one that has a chance." Shikamaru said. Sakura wanted to argue, but faith and eagerness were shining in Naruto's cerulean eyes. So she only nodded and followed Pakkun. It didn't take as long as she had feared to reach Sasuke, but it appeared to be too late. The curse seal had spread, leaving the dark flames to trail over his pale skin. Naruto's foot smashed into Gaara's face and Sakura couldn't help but wish it had been her. She'd show Gaara of the Desert the power of Shifting Sands. But there was something dark in his eye, crazed, and a part of her shivered.

"Are you alright Sasuke?" she asked, never taking her eyes from the monster in front of her.

"Sa..k..ura?" he asked. Her Inner self wondered if he couldn't recognize her when she wasn't wearing bright red, but she dismissed the thought because Gaara was making some very obvious signals that he was about to attack. "What are...?"

Gaara chose that moment to attack, going after Sasuke with such speed that she could only leap in front of him and fall into a Breath of Stone stance to take the impact. The cruel claws of sand trapped her with her back to a tree, but she only needed a distraction to free herself. She watched the battle up until the moment when Naruto made his realization. Pooling chakra into the points in her back and fingers, she flexed and the tree shattered. The noise made both boys turn and look.

"Sakura-chan, you're okay!" Naruto said.

"Thanks to you." she tossed back.

"How did you escape my sand?" the monster in front of her hissed.

Rather than answering she fell with boneless grace into the opening position of Shifting Sand.

"Wait. I know that position." Gaara laughed, a terrible harsh sound that was more like pain than amusement. "Well, it is unexpected to meet a master of Shifting Sand in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. You're not like the other two. You're not playing around. You're eyes...are so cold. You have death in your eyes when you look at me. But my hate is stronger than yours."

Sakura extended one hand and lowered her body into the position known as Silenced Cobra. She sneered at Gaara. "Only the weak need hate to kill. The strong need only opportunity."

Gaara's arm shot past her. The moment when she dodged was impossible to catch, making look almost like Gaara had missed rather than the other way around. Sakura's open palm caught a light blow, but it was enough to make the arm explode in a shower of dust and grit. But even as the shower rained down she was moving, coming up for a blow directly to the chest. However, all did not go as planned. The sand shattered outward, but as it did it captured her hand.

"Hehe..If it wasn't for my sand you would have killed me Sakura Haruno. I don't like that."

Sakura bowed her head, but still she couldn't help the smirk that played on her lips. In an unpredictable move to someone expecting another Shifting Sand form, using the inhuman strength of Closed Fist she punched him. It sent Gaara flying, but his sand sliced open her hand

as it left and she had to grit her teeth to keep from crying out. Instead she stood, blood dripping onto the branch on which she was standing.

She took a long slow breath through clenched teeth, but only a small whimper escaped. Sakura rallied her self-control, prepared to give it her all as the cocky smirk fell from her lips. No matter her new talent, she wasn't foolish enough to believe she could take on this monster of sand and hate. But this creature threatened the safety of those most precious to her, so she had no choice. At her side, her bloodied hand clenched.

A/N: Sorry for the short chapter.


	3. Screaming Sands

Disclaimer: If I owned this, I would have told you by now.

A/N: As always, thanks to those who review. I know I've been spelling Gai's name Guy in the last two chapters, but I prefer to spell it Gai. I don't know which is the correct form.

_Sakura's thoughts_

"Normal speech"

Chapter Three:

Screaming Sands

Options ran through her head as Gaara stood and sneered at her. She was pretty much limited to taijutsu and her left hand was a bloody mess. Pain wasn't the problem. Pain was in her head and could be overcome through force of will and determination. It was the fact that the sand had been heavily laced with chakra and the chakra system in her hand was in tattered ruins for the moment. Sakura hoped it would heal, but first she had to survive this battle before she started worrying about long-term effects.

A quick glance from the corner of her eye revealed Sasuke and Naruto still safely perched on their branch behind her. Sakura took another soothing breath. She would protect them, even if it cost her life. Because not doing so would cost her precious self-respect, something she had worked so hard to build. No one would take her teammates away. She wouldn't allow it.

"Hey Gaara, leave her alone!" Naruto roared from his branch.

"Shut up, you insignificant worm. She is my prey. When I have finished with her, I'll come after you." Gaara returned, his attention momentarily diverted in his confidence.

Sakura was no longer one to say no to such opportunity when she saw it. She had already lost the element of surprise with her two main offensive styles, so she would have to be quicker, surer in her strike. Using chakra to enhance her speed she tried to strike below his guard, but his sand blocked her at every attempt. Again and again, she tried to get a blow to hit, but all her efforts were rewarded with failure. Her skin was thick with sweat and the grit of exploded sand. Sakura thought grimly to herself if her layer of sand got any thicker she was going to give the Sand Shield a try.

Gaara was not sitting and letting her simply attempt to kill him either, as grateful as she would have been for it. For every blow she made, she had to defend herself from at least two counterstrikes. It only took a few minutes for her blood loss and general exhaustion to begin to grey the edges of her vision. Her left hand was useless for attack and her simple month of training hadn't increased her chakra reservoir to the point where she would be able to match Naruto's stamina even on his worst day. She was capable of only a short burst of prolonged combat like this, which was totally different from long hours of training. The constant training had its effect too, always leaving her drained to a little more than half of what she would be capable of at maximum and she had done extra laps this morning, thinking she would be sitting still for several hours, losing training time.

Finally there came a blow she couldn't avoid and she wasn't quick enough to block. The blow struck her in the ribs with a solid crunch that told of broken ribs and her breath left her as her back met the solid bark of a tree. As grey began to encroach on her vision she saw Naruto leap at Gaara with a roar more animal than human. Then pain of her injury washed over her in a crimson wave that stole away her tenuous hold on consciousness.

-XXX-

A white ceiling. There was a vague brown stain, like water damage, in one corner. That was the first detail that made it through the haze of Sakura's returning consciousness. _Why am I here? _A quick attempt to sit up left tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. A nondescript nurse in a white uniform bustled over. "Please don't try to sit up. You're simply lucky that one of those ribs didn't pierce a lung." Sakura lay back down onto the crisp sheets. _That's right. Gaara and his sand hit me. I didn't take the blow right. Gai-sensei would have been disappointed,_ she thought ruefully.

Then another thought hit her and she was bolt-upright in the bed, ignoring the screaming pain from her ribs. "Naruto, Sasuke! What happened to them? Are they alright?"

The nurse tried to force her back down without aggravating the young ninja's wounds, but seeing she wasn't going to cooperate, humored her need for information. "They're certainly in better shape than you are. They both escaped with only minor injuries and cases of slight chakra exhaustion. On the other hand, you have four shattered ribs and your left hand looks like it went through a shredder. Luckily, your chakra system had already begun to repair itself when you were brought in. Your unconscious control of chakra is extraordinary."

Sakura stopped paying attention to the hovering nurse as she heard that Naruto and Sasuke were okay. She considered breathing a sigh of relief, but as she considered the state of her ribs with a grimace she decided to settle for an internal cheer. "When can I leave?" she asked as the nurse took advantage of her return of consciousness to check her pulse.

"Hmm?" the nurse asked distractedly. "You'll have to ask the doctor in charge of your case, but I wouldn't think it would be for a while." Her back was turned, so she didn't see the hardening of Sakura's eyes at the statement. She couldn't afford to be laid up in the hospital, no matter how loudly her ribs said that was a good idea. Not now that Team Seven could be together again, no matter how poor their relationship was. "Now that you're awake, we'll change the bandages on your hand." Her statement drew Sakura's attention to the injury.

"How bad is it?" Sakura asked softly.

"You suffered severe damage, but we were able to repair most of the internal damage to your muscle and bones. Your chakra system had already begun to repair itself when you were brought in, as I told you earlier. I'm afraid you'll have some scars, but they'll be thin and shouldn't interfere with your flexibility as long as you continue to work your hand as it heals." As she spoke she rewrapped said appendage. Sakura grimaced at the sight, but it was already a vast improvement of the mangled limb of memory.

That thought brought another question to her lips. "How long have I been here?" she asked the nurse, who was writing information on her file.

"Three days. I'll be back in half an hour with a dose of pain medication. Please try to rest until then." The nurse said as she disappeared through the door. Sakura didn't respond. _Three days? No. I have to get out of here. I can't afford to spend any longer here._ With remarkable speed for one as battered as she felt she slipped through the opened window. She smiled as she noticed someone had left her flowers. 'Flowers worthy for a youthful blossom.' The note proclaimed in broad handwriting and was signed from both Lee and Gai. Without another backward glance she hopped through the window, where freedom beckoned.

A half hour later the same nurse was returning, leading three visitors who had appeared to visit the young pink-haired ninja. She snuck covert glances at the utterly dissimilar members of Team Seven who were following her. She found it very cute that the young ninja with unruly blond hair clutched a bunch of freshly picked, slightly squashed daisies in a nervous hand for his friend. "She's right inside here," she said, opening the door to the room.

The young blond ninja burst past her, chanting, "Sakura-chan!" As the nurse straightened she caught sight of the empty bed, neatly remade and the still blowing curtains. Her clipboard slipped through her fingers in surprise and landed with a loud clatter on the ground. "Huh, where's Sakura-chan?" the blond exclaimed loudly.

The silver-haired man gave a low chuckle. "Well, it looks like she's already made her escape. She's as bad as you two."

"But she shouldn't be moving! Four of her ribs were shattered! Her left hand is a mess!" the nurse exclaimed in exasperation.

"Hmm. That sounds pretty serious." The older ninja commented coolly, sliding the orange book he had been reading from their entire trip into the pouch at his waist. "Well, Sasuke, Naruto, we'll have to find her."

"We'll find her, believe it!" the young blond ninja shouted as he disappeared out the window in a shower of daisies. The older ninja only sighed, while the blonde's younger companion shook his head in disgust.

The young girl causing the commotion was currently regretting her newfound willpower with every step she took. Every move she made was amplified by waves of shooting pain from her healing ribs. Sakura was grateful someone had brought in a fresh set of clothes, because otherwise she would have been a mess and a half. She had made it to the curved red bridge that Team Seven had claimed as its own before she had decided that a break was in order. She had made the mistake of leaning against the railing only once and she had barely managed to avoid screaming in agony. So she had compromised, easing herself down onto the bank where she could trail her feet in the water.

Sakura was staring contemplatively at her hand, which was swathed in bandages up to her elbow. Cautiously she clenched it shut, grimacing slightly as the bandages on her palm began to turn crimson.

"Hn." The sound came from behind and Sakura instinctively whirled and fell into a defensive stance. The ninja who she had whirled to confront eyes widened slightly, but he only sighed as Sakura was forced to clutch at her ribs.

"You probably should be more careful." Sasuke said to his female teammate.

She offered him a weak smile. "Sure. I'll try to remember that."

"You should be at the hospital." He said levelly as she came to stand beside him.

That earned him a raised brow. "Says the boy who disappears from the hospital and isn't heard from for a month." Sasuke turned his head away. "So why are you here? Were you looking for me?"

"Naruto and Kakashi were worried. Kakashi sent us to look for you. We should probably go meet them." And without a further word he strode off. With head hung in anticipation of the lecture she knew was awaiting her, Sakura followed the stoic Uchiha.

In all too short a time by her reckoning, they made it to the training grounds, where the remaining members of Team Seven were waiting. Kakashi turned a critical eye in her direction and Sakura was sure he instantly took note of the stiffness of her stance and the way the bandages on her left palm were steadily turning red where she had reopened the cuts.

"And here I thought the female member of Team Seven would have enough sense to actually stay in the hospital until she is better. But I guess this isn't the first time I've been proven wrong."

Maybe it was something in his tone, or maybe it was all the pain medication that was doing absolutely nothing for her ribs, but the subtle arrogance that defined Kakashi-sensei suddenly inflamed that darker half of herself that she kept locked inside. So, glaring icily from under the veil of her bangs, she said as coolly as ever the Uchiha himself had ever managed, "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine." He returned with a sardonic lilt to his voice.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." She snarled.

"Hmm. I don't think so. Sasuke, attack Sakura." Kakashi commanded, his one visible eye narrowed.

"What?" Naruto roared, and even Sasuke shot him an incredulous glance.

"You heard me. From her left." Kakashi said, his voice and countenance serious. With a last glance between his teacher and his teammate, the Uchiha lunged without warning at Sakura. His speed had only improved since he had awoken his Sharingan, and with her weakened reflexes, Sakura couldn't avoid the blow. So in a desperate attempt to impress the fact that she wasn't the same girl they had always taken for granted, she caught his fist in her good hand and channeled a surge of destructive chakra through the skin to skin link.

A/N: Sorry to end it here, but expect a plot twist next chapter. Review and I might be motivated to update sooner.


	4. The Red Moon Falls

Disclaimer: One day I'm going to surprise to you all and tell you I own Naruto, but today is not that day and tomorrow's not looking good either.

A/N: A thank you to all my reviewers, whose comments are greatly appreciated.

"_Inner Sakura/ Sakura's thoughts"_

"Normal speech"

Chapter Four

The Red Moon Falls

Sakura felt the heady pull of chakra flowing through her veins as she prepared to channel a malicious wave of chakra into the fist she held firmly in her own. Admittedly, she had never done this before, so she wasn't sure exactly what it would do, but she was fairly sure it would be an _interesting_ result to say the least. The chakra felt as cold and sharp as if she had blades running through her chakra channels and she took the opportunity, her lips forming an unconsciously intent expression somewhere between a smirk and a sneer as Sasuke's eyes widened as he tried to pull his hand back.

If either Sasuke or Kakashi had their Sharingan activated they would have noticed the ominous change in the nature of her chakra, the natural cool green of her chakra turning a poisonous black. With a metaphorical push, Sakura channeled all anger and chakra into a single blow. There was a long moment where time seemed to stand still, but then Kakashi was between them knocking her hand away and sending her stumbling backwards in pain.

"What was that for?" Sasuke asked their teacher.

Kakashi's gave him a cheerful smile from beneath his mask. "I don't think you would have liked it very much if I let Sakura do what she was trying to do to you."

"What was she trying to do Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked eagerly.

Kakashi's smile turned into a disapproving frown, which he turned on Sakura. "Something she should never have tried at her level, especially on a teammate. I guess this settles it. You are going back to the hospital until you're healed."

All her protests were ignored, which explained to a restless Sakura why she was still in the hospital several days later. Her physical training may have been significantly curtailed, but her stealth skills had received a boost from the need to sneak around under the ever watchful gazes of the worried hospital staff in order to complete ever more complex chakra control exercises. Of course, she wasn't sure exactly how effective these were, given that she was more or less working blind, but her chakra control had always been extraordinary. It had been her only talent, and an ignored one at that before Gai-sensei had taught her taijutsu.

But still, she had been in here for almost a week. So today she had resolved to sneak out again. If she could find Gai-sensei, she was certain he would at least offer encouragement, if not exercises she could complete even trapped in a hospital room. It would probably be a useless exercise to find Kakashi-sensei, because it was he who had sent her back to what she was quickly coming to think of as her personal purgatory. Both Naruto and Sasuke had been too busy with training to see her much and her only other visitor had been Ino.

Even as she jumped through the window, she knew she should at least go see Kakashi-sensei. He was a great ninja, and perhaps even a great teacher, but he had never really taught her. So it was the affection one felt for a rather eccentric uncle she felt for Kakashi, rather than the respect a teacher would earn. But even then, she still owed him a lot. So with those thoughts to quicken her steps she took off in search of her wayward teacher.

Perhaps it was instinct or simply some sort of twisted luck that guided her steps to the green park where even as she had made her decision to search for Kakashi-sensei, a heated battle was taking place between the ninja of Konoha and two members of the infamous Akatsuki. As it was, she arrived just in time to look death straight in the eye as Itachi used the Tsuekyomi.

Sakura found herself alone in a world with a dark moon hung in a sky as red as blood. "Well, this is rather unexpected." A smooth baritone voice rang out in the empty world. A flock of ravens flew from unseen perches to form a ninja whom Sakura had never seen in her life.

"Who are you? What is this place?" Sakura asked carefully, falling instinctively into a position that would allow her to lunge as soon as this person provided her an opening.

The ninja appeared to ignore her questions in favor of staring at her in such a manner that Sakura felt like he was stripping her down to her soul. "You are one of my foolish little brother's teammates, are you not?" It was only in that second that she finally caught sight of those too familiar eyes.

She felt her breath catch in her throat and her heart skipped a beat. "Who are you?" This time it was a demand, not the nervous question of before.

"Uchiha. Itachi." His words were slow, measured to give her plenty of time for reaction, but she refused to give him the pleasure. His expression never changed, his eyes flat and unreadable. Sakura allowed her bangs to fall in a veil over her eyes, giving her at least some measure of protection from that piercing gaze. All her nervous courage fell away the moment she was trussed to the iron cross that had appeared to bind her.

"What is this?" she stuttered, struggling with all the chakra-enhanced strength she possessed against the cold metal. Realization followed a moment later when it had no effect. "Genjutsu."

"Indeed. You are within a world of my own creation. There is no escape." He told her tonelessly as he watched her struggle with as little emotion as when he had announced his name.

Her struggles quieted with his proclamation. _Does he really think we're so foolish as to believe him? It's a genjutsu. There has to be a way to break it!_ Sakura was rather disturbed by the sudden vehemence of the inner voice she tended to ignore. But with Inner Sakura's emergence, something about the dimension changed. She missed it at first because her world was suddenly awash with pain as Itachi rammed a katana through her abdomen. But as she grew used to the terrible pain that would not cease, she saw what had happened. Somehow, with Inner Sakura's interference, her entire conscience had not been caught within the nearly undefeatable genjutsu. And the part of her that lay dormant could see the lines of chakra that composed the dimension.

_We can't cut off our chakra to interfere with the illusion and everyone on the outside who could help is probably as trapped as we are, so we'll have to do it ourself! If we can see the chakra pattern, we can duplicate it!_ So without a second thought for the consequences of trying to copy a jutsu produced by a kekkai genkai, especially one as complex and feared as the Sharingan, Sakura used her flawless chakra control to duplicate the chakra pattern.

And the dimension shuddered. The red sky bled black, crimson stars like trails of blood traveling across the sky filling the void. The blank emptiness beyond the cross was suddenly filled with the sickly white branches of dead cherry trees, their branches like skeletal fingers reaching into the moonless night. Itachi's eyes widened fractionally, as for the first time in his life, his Tsukiyomi was challenged. His weakened eyes couldn't take the stress and he released the illusion.

Both Sakura and Kakashi dropped to the ground. Kakashi was still murmuring words of warning to his teammates in the water, but Sakura lay silent and still on the shore, her hands covering her face.

Itachi said tonelessly to his companion, "Come. The noise will have attracted others. What we came for isn't here." With that, both the missing-nin made themselves scarce. Gai sighed, looking down at his rival, who had been defeated so easily. Then his attention was drawn to the shore, where his rival's young student still lay with her hands clutching at her face.

He was quickly at her side, noticing immediately that her breathing was too rapid and irregular for her to have fallen unconscious. There was tension in every line of her body, but she made nary a sound. "Sakura-chan, are you alright?" he asked gently.

There came a strangled sound from the rather pathetic form sprawled on the ground. "Is she okay?" Kurenai asked as she and Asuma came to his side.

"I don't think so. She was probably caught in the same illusion Kakashi was and I doubt she was as prepared for it as he was." He glanced down again as Kurenai knelt by the young kunoichi.

"Why is she clutching at her face?" her gentle voice asked.

"Hm." Gai too knelt so he could examine the student he had quickly become fond of. "Sakura, we can't help if we don't know what's…" his breath caught as he noticed the crimson liquid dripping from her hands. He heard both Kurenai and Asuma gasp as they too noticed the small pool that was forming. Gai's hands immediately grasped the smaller ones of the young girl and with all the gentleness he could muster with his concern about her condition, he brought her hands away. Desperate, pain-filled eyes met his own and for a moment the world stood still. For where once emerald green eyes had once shone with an innocent inner flame, irises black as pitch, outlined only in a thin line of poisonous green stared back. And in that same sinister green, three tomoe surrounded the pupil that was as black as the rest of the eye.

The damage didn't stop there. Blood leaked in steady stream like tears from the corners of her eyes and the surrounded skin was burned in patterns where chakra paths had been burned where none were before. "What have you done Sakura?" he asked, aghast. She turned her head away, but the effort took the last of her energy and she finally gave in to the peace the soothing darkness offered her.

"What was that?" Kurenai asked.

"I don't know." Gai admitted, pushing aside his personal feelings. "But I know that both of them need to be taken to a healer, and quickly."

But even the best healers could not wake Kakashi, and every healer who looked at Sakura was as baffled as Gai and the other jounin. Worse, Sasuke Uchiha soon joined his two teammates. But there was nothing to be done, except move Kakashi to his rooms and find beds for the two genin. The mystery remained unsolved, but other matters were more pressing to the elders of Konoha. The search for Tsuanade, the third of the Sannin, took precedence over everything besides the normal function of the village. For the people of Konoha, it was for the protection and leadership that only a Hokage provided. For Naruto, it was his only chance to heal Sasuke, and though he did not know it, Kakashi and Sakura as well.

A/N: Well, what do you think? Good, bad? Not what you expected? It's a little shorter than I would have liked, but I thought this was a good place to leave it. Feedback would be appreciated.


	5. The Hollow Moon Rises

Disclaimer: Ah, if only…

A/N: For those of you worried about it, don't worry. A kekkai genkai doesn't come for free and there will be considerable development on Sakura's part before the next mission. I simply tried to emphasize how utterly unprepared she was to meet someone of Itachi's caliber. Yes, she does know what happened to the Third and I should have said that she attended his funeral, as she did in the original storyline. It was an oversight on my part, which I am sorry about. And I apologize for the misspellings in the last chapter. I'll try to better about those from now on.

Chapter Five

The Rise of the Hollow Moon

Everything was awash with the black flames. It was sluggish fire pulsing through her veins rather than blood, smothering her thoughts, devouring her heart with every beat. It was a level of pain Sakura had never thought existed, beyond even the glimpse Itachi's Tsukiyomi had shown her. She found herself in the ultimate prison, locked within the confines of her own mind.

For what seemed like an eternity, there was only the pain, but then other impressions began to filter through. The same sky, filled with the falling crimson stars, the same cherry trees whose lives were long past. The black flames licked at the edges of the illusion, but something, the part of Sakura that was always detached and slept deep within, kept them at bay. Another pain registered itself in a vague way, like a fly landing on her skin while the rest of her burned. But any distraction was welcome, so she turned her gaze downward.

Sakura was kneeling in this world, and the loose gravel-like substance that composed the ground was digging into her knees roughly enough to dig little crimson rivets in the exposed skin. Her eyes widened in horrified awe as her sluggish pain frozen senses processed exactly what she was kneeling in. An ocean of bones. Ribs poked up here and there like patches of grass, skulls lay scattered as if some careless predator had cast aside its leavings, and uncountable vertebrae lay like the sand of some gruesome beach. All glowed with an eerie whiteness like the trees, though there was no illumination other than the crimson stars falling in a steady rain just beyond her sight.

With a painful slowness she rose from her place. Unlike before, there was no Inner self to offer her comfort. For a moment she was torn between the hope she was alone in this terrible world and a horror of the same thing. But there was nothing she could do, no escape she could see. Without much hope she began to stride through the graveyard stillness of this world. _Where am I? Why does it hurt so much? Am I still in the Tsukiyomi?_ She wondered within the utter quiet of her mind.

Sakura wasn't really paying attention to where she was going, taking the little comfort offered by retreating within her own mind. So it came as a surprise when instead of the grainy crunch of sandal on bone, there sounded a hollow echo. Pulling her gaze outward again, she found herself in a great hall. There were crumbling pillars of black marble reaching up into eternity in a long procession, ending in darkness. Her feet led her as if her body was possessed. A tiny flame of curiosity lit her already burning body aflame and she found herself sprinting into that darkness that beckoned to her.

Her breath was coming hard, as if she had run a marathon, every movement felt as if her bones themselves would shatter, and every time she breathed it was if flamed burned at her lungs rather than air. But it had finally become so much, the pain was so blinding that it was starting to fade, ever present but ignored by the conscious part of her that moved in this dimension. But as she took that final, fateful step beyond the dark gateway, every pain rushed back and with everything she had left, Sakura screamed.

She had come upon a mockery of a banquet hall. Here the pillars formed an oblong courtyard, at the center of which sat a small table carved of a dark, heavy wood. Gruesome forms twisted to form the base, as if the table had grown in the center of the room rather than being moved there. Things sat on the glistening surface, but her attention was caught elsewhere, namely at the opposite end of the hall. The pillars formed a sort of wall, keeping away the pulsing darkness and flames lurking outside that rose and fell with each beat of her heart. From within those dark depths, she could hear tortured screams and see shifting forms, but then she realized it was herself, mirrored back at her a hundred thousand times, screaming with such desperation her heart broke for them even as the edges of her mind began to crumble from the sheer intensity of the sensations she was receiving.

Tattered banners, bloodstained but still bearing the Haruno clan crest, seemed to mock her as she fell to her knees, ignoring the blast of pain that came with contact with the unyielding marble. For on the pillar furthest from her, pinned like some specimen on a collection card, the body of the Third Hokage stared back at her with hollow eyes. A katana was driven through his chest with such force that it had sunk to the hilt and continued into the column behind it. Blood flowed in a sluggish stream, an impossible amount for a human being to possess pooling at his feet, as if he was the fountain in this terrible satire of a beautiful courtyard. A sob made its way past her suddenly cold lips, the guilt and sadness of his death, something she had been refusing to deal with, suddenly rushing back.

"Won't you have some tea, Sakura-chan?" Her breath caught in her throat and her heart stilled for a beat as a too familiar voice whispered in her ear. Sakura was paralyzed as something flowed over her shoulder and mocking golden eyes met her own. "Won't you join me, Sakura-chan?" There was something ugly about the way he said her name, something even uglier than the way the serpentine body twisted and curled and clung around her own form possessively. Something uglier than the way he chuckled and the twisted beauty of the way the serpent's form flowed past her own and down the six shallow steps onto the main floor of the courtyard. For the first time she noticed the pattern on the marble, as she sat frozen there just above, how the blood ran into the depression between the raised outer rim and the raised platform on which the table and chairs sat, forming the ever-present circle of the Haruno clan.

Then Sakura's attention was pulled back again to the serpent, whose form suddenly was flowing upwards and taking a human guise. White scales became sallow skin, the form walked upright, but the eyes never changed. "Oro..Orochimaru…" she managed to force between teeth that almost chattered in her fright. That yellow gaze pinned her as easily as ever a serpent ever pinned a mouse.

"Who else were you expecting Sakura-chan? Won't you have tea?" Of its own accord her body began to shiver violently at even the suggestion she would move towards the figure who was even now staring back at her indolently, clad only in a loose crème kimono tied with a purple obi, his dark hair falling loosely across his shoulders and into his eyes.

"Join me Sakura-chan. Come to me." There was no breath left in her body to scream. Even those on the outside had stilled, leaving her caught in the silence with the man she feared most in the world. Unintentionally her eyes were drawn again to the figure hanging silently across what was beginning to look like an abyss. Orochimaru's eyes followed her gaze, a smile spreading across his face.

"Doesn't he make a pretty picture? The windmill has not yet begun to turn, but I have painted its blades crimson. All it will take is a push from the Uchiha, and things will flow into motion. And won't we have fun then Sakura-chan?" He flowed back across the floor just as if he had never left the snake's body, tucking his fingers under her chin and tilting her head back to meet her eyes.

A petulant expression crossed his face as he stared down at her. In the distance a single scream sounded distantly, then a rising chorus. These were more distant than her own screams had been, but Sakura knew only the expression of pleasure that was rising in Orochimaru's gaze. "Isn't it beautiful Sakura-chan? Can't you hear the screams of the children? And you know," he brought his face closer, until she could almost feel the cool, dry skin of his lips against her ear, "you're the one making them scream."

"No." That was the only word her shaking lips could form.

"Oh yes, Sakura-chan." She couldn't even protest as he pulled her to her feet and led her down to the table already set for them. A pretty tea service in cream glazed china with a pattern of sakura petals on it rested on the table, along with a chess set. It was the chess set that caught her gaze, allowing her to ignore the chair that somehow managed to look like a mangled human corpse twisted in a position of impossible agony and the way that Orochimaru pulled out her chair for her and gently settled her.

Her gaze remained unbroken as Orochimaru poured the sweet smelling tea. For the chess figures were like none she had ever seen. Incredible in their detail, she recognized few of the figures on the black side, but she knew the figure with glasses that sat in a bishop's spot, even if she could not name who it was. A likeness of Orochimaru himself rested in the king's position, and in the far corners large snake figurines took the place of rooks.

It was the white side she found more disturbing. Even though the board was set as if a match was about to begin, pieces were already missing. In the position of the rooks there were only gaping empty holes. Inspiration began to dawn as she caught sight of the toppled king, standing proudly in the robes of the Hokage.

"What is this?" Sakura asked in horror.

"Hm?" There was a sadistic twist in Orochimaru's lips as he surveyed the board with something like satisfaction. "It's the game Sakura-chan. Won't you play?"

Her response was a strangled noise made deep in her throat. There assembled on the board were figures both familiar and unfamiliar to her. The Rookie Nine were all assembled on the front line as pawns, though she could not pick out her own form among them. In the knight's position were Kakashi and Gai, though the two bishops and the queen were unfamiliar to her.

"The game's already over. The king has been captured. And even if he wasn't, I wouldn't play. Not ever." Her words were soft, but ever one contained the conviction of one who is sure of herself.

The golden orbs were fairly dancing with a sickening excitement. "It's not that sort of game Sakura-chan. The game's not over until the board has been cleared. Besides, there is still a queen." His long, pale finger ran teasingly over the figure in question.

"That's not how chess works." Sakura snapped, somehow angry, though she couldn't figure out why.

"This isn't chess Sakura-chan. Besides, I know you'll grow to love it. I will take greatest pleasure in taking these." Again, those too elegant fingers ran over the figures, but now he named them, "Tsunade, Jiraiya, Danzou. You'll be the greatest challenge. Are you ready to play Sakura-chan? I'll move first." With that he moved one of his pawns forward two spaces.

"White moves first." Sakura said, beginning to feel the faint stirrings of curiosity as another wave of fire swept through her. She took a cautious sip of the tea, but could find nothing to reprove in its flavor, nor could she taste any poison lurking in its depths. Of course, with Orochimaru that meant nothing.

He waved a finger reprovingly. "I've told you this isn't chess Sakura-chan. It's your move."

Cautiously Sakura advanced the tiny Chouji forward, refusing to think of him as a pawn. Orochimaru moved again and when her turn came again Sakura hesitated in taking his pawn, instead advancing Chouji out of range of the piece he had just moved. Orochimaru tsked reproachfully at her. "Poor choice Sakura-chan. Now he's mine." With a swift move that left her wide-eyed, one of the knights, a strange figure that Sakura didn't know moved and the Chouji piece toppled.

A scream, far closer than the ones that had become little more than a soft din in the background tore through the still air. Terrible images flashed behind Sakura's eyes, visions of a ruthless man with spiked red hair tearing through Chouji's flesh like paper, and then the vision came alive before her as Chouji's limp body leaned against one of the pillars, his blood joining the Third's.

Sakura leapt away from the table as if bitten and was forced to her knees as another wave of pain sent a roar into her ears. "What is this?!"

Orochimaru rose and stood before her, that same twisted expression of glee still on his face. "Now, now Sakura-chan, you can't just leave the game like that. What's one pawn?"

"Chouji wasn't a pawn!"

"Wasn't he? I doubt he's important enough to be considered a knight, and he certainly isn't a bishop. So why not a pawn?" Tears began to pour from Sakura's eyes, which had been strangely dry until this point.

"He's not a pawn, he's a person!" she screamed into her hands, turning her tear-stained face away.

"People can be pawns. Now come back Sakura-chan. I'm sure you won't make the same mistake again. You must be willing to sacrifice pawns sometimes for the sake of the game. Let us play." His chuckle harmonized for a moment with Sakura's sobs, as they stood in the courtyard, surrounded by thirty-two pillars and the darkness beyond waiting patiently for the players to make their next move.

A/N: Yes, I know chess is a western game, but it suited my purpose and I knew it best. Reviews are appreciated.


	6. The First Kingdom in Ascendance

Disclaimer: Naruto is still not mine, but I can say I own the plot, which is something, at least.

A/N: Thanks again to all who review.

Chapter Six

The First Kingdom in Ascendance

Sakura was surrounded by the dead. They leered at her, they accused her. With each loss, each gain, their deaths grew more vivid, more terrible. She sat in the middle of a lake of blood, playing a game with their lives. _Perhaps it is their right to be accusing_, she thought to herself as she looked over the battlefield that disguised itself as a chess board. Catching herself at that thought, her hand froze over her knight. _No, not a knight. Kakashi. _Her gaze traveled upward from the board to meet the eyes of her opponent.

Caught up in her realization, she hovered there until he asked, "What is wrong Sakura-chan?"

"How long have I been here?" she asked, her eyes alight.

He tapped his chin thoughtfully, pouring himself another cup of tea. "At this game? No longer than a few hours."

"It's more than a few hours, isn't it Orochimaru." She accused.

"What would make you say that Sakura-chan?" he asked with all the sinister pleasantry he had displayed for the entire time.

"The fires are dying down." Her left hand traveled to rest just above her heart. "The pain has receded." _And I just about to sacrifice Kakashi without a second thought._

Orochimaru's too perceptive eyes caught the way her right hand, still poised above the piece began to shake. "You were about to use Kakashi to trap me, were you not? A clever move. You would have caught my king. But you would have had to sacrifice the piece."

"What is this place?" Sakura asked, withdrawing her hand from over the piece, her tone once again even.

"You haven't figured it out Sakura-chan? None of this is real. It only exists inside your mind. This is _your_ gengutsu." The teacup, which Sakura had brought to her lips for what little comfort it offered, fell to the marble, where it shattered. Orochimaru smiled predatorily at her, sensing her surprise. "That's right." His hand made a vague gesture that encompassed the courtyard, and then he leaned forward across the table. "This is all your doing. Every. Single. One."

Sakura's pained green eyes took in the scene, the terrible vista set before her. "No…"she breathed, more out of desperation than any conviction.

"Oh yes, Sakura-chan." A sinister chuckle followed it, full of cruel mockery at her obvious distress. "Tell me, how does it feel to have killed all your friends just to win a game?"

Rage suddenly filled limbs that had hung like lead at her sides, and in a sudden blow the board and pieces flew across the room. Tears blurring her vision she ran for the door, running on top of the bloody moat that surrounded them. She got as far as the entry before Orochimaru's soft command rang out. "Stop." Her body stilled against her will, and his presence was suddenly there, filling the space just behind her. "Now look." His hand guided her head to gaze behind her. What she saw made her blood run cold. The board was reset and once again only the Third's body hung in all it's terrible glory. "You thought you could simply copy the Tsukiyomi Sakura-chan?" The terrible laugh filled her ear again.

"Go away Orochimaru." Sakura hissed, her eyes downcast.

"I can't just go away Sakura-chan. Because you created me. If you think about it…" he was so close she could feel every time he breathed, "_I am you. _"

"No! It can't be!" She turned wild eyes to meet his own, but his were cool, calm, and controlled in a way she hadn't yet seen.

"Can't it? You know how genjutsu works. You assume control of your opponents chakra. You are probably the only person who had ever used it against themselves though. I am simply the shape you have chosen to give the darkness of your thoughts." He commented.

"If this is my own genjutsu, then I can break it and wake up." Sakura seized upon the option with the wild hope of those who, in their desperation, grasp at anything that offers itself up, no matter how slim the chance was it would be that simple.

"I'm afraid it's not that easy. Your body is being systematically destroyed by your own chakra. Normal chakra isn't sufficient to power the Sharingan. It is fueled by demonic power and rage, and in its further stages, human anguish. You not only attempted to imitate the Sharingan, you tried to possess its Mangekyo form. So, you could say you have sealed your own doom. Your body is currently too damaged for you to wake. You have trapped yourself her with me, in your own kingdom of the dead." The yellow of his eyes had turned golden, so much so that they almost glowed.

Sakura shut her eyes, ignoring the golden glow. She bit down on her lip so hard she could taste the metallic coppery tang of her blood, but the pain brought no new clarity. She felt so helpless, as she had not felt since her first sessions with Gai-sensei. She had trained with the Third Hokage himself, and yet she was reduced to this. That thought brought a fresh wave of sorrow. Sakura had been repressing those feelings from the moment she had learned he had died. There was too much pain, but there was also acceptance and pride. He had known what he would have to do and he had died the way he wanted, as a warrior, rather than as an old man past the prime of his life. But still, those thoughts hadn't brought her the clarity she had felt she needed to open the scrolls he had left in her keeping.

The steady pressure of a hand on her shoulder brought her back to her present reality. "So Sakura-chan, how about another game?"

She shrugged off the hand with what was probably undue violence, but her helplessness was fueling her rage, building into an inferno. Her earlier complacency was burned away, but nothing could burn away the cold images of death that still danced before her eyes, nor the cold, empty feeling of guilt that for even a few second she could treat her friends like they were nothing more than pawns. Even if this was nothing more than a genjutsu. Especially if it was a genjutsu of her own creation. That explained why she had not been able to detect the usual indicators that this was a genjutsu.

But that didn't explain where her Inner Self had disappeared to. Inner Sakura was not an entity that Sakura spent a great deal of time thinking about, but she did function almost as a separate soul. And that could only mean one thing. Somewhere out there in the darkness of her mind, there was a part of her not trapped by her genjutsu. Without looking back she strode off into the darkness, intent on returning to the Forest of Bones. It took a few moments for her to register Orochimaru's presence at her side.

Her footsteps never faltered. "If you're going to follow, make yourself useful and stay out of my way."

"I thought you might appreciate a little help."

"And how could you help me? And why would I accept your help?"

"Because I can tell you exactly where you are hiding from yourself. And I can get you there much more quickly." Sakura turned cynical eyes onto him, but he ignored her gaze, instead returning to a larger form of the serpent he had first appeared to her as. "Come now, Sakura-chan, don't tell me you expect me to betray you when there is no gain in it?" Crouched on its back, she did indeed make good time, coming quickly to a place where the black flames still roared high. And for, not the first time, Sakura came face to face with herself.

"We have a problem." Inner Sakura said pointedly, while Sakura was still processing literally being face to face with her mirror image.

"Yes."

"The Sharingan is going to destroy us if we don't master it." The dark soul form crossed its arms across its chest, looking contemplatively at the original.

"I know that." Sakura sighed irritably. "But the question remains as to how we, our perhaps I should say I, intend to do that."

"The true Sharingan is fed by demonic energies."

"How do you know that?" Sakura asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. After all, this was a genjustsu of her own creation, so it shouldn't know anything that she herself did not.

"We know this because Itachi knew. When you shattered his Tsukiyomi, there were residual memories that were left with us. They are only accessible at the subconscious level, which is why I know and you don't."

"Alright. We'll pretend what you and Orochimaru has been telling me is true. Then what? We hardly have a demon convenient."

"Sacrifice me and you'll attract one."

"What?!" Sakura exclaimed.

Her double met her eyes readily. "I'm not a real person. I'm not even a real part of your soul. But, I should be able to attract something. You may not have noticed, but there was one scroll case among the ones the Third left us, one that was different from the others. It was probably a mistake that he gave it to us. There were quite a few sealing kanji engraved on that box. Specifically, ones for sealing a higher level demon. Before our encounter with Itachi, we didn't know what the kanji meant, or their purpose. But now we can use it to our advantage."

Sakura let out a shaky breath. "Are you sure that it won't hurt us in the long run? What would I have to do?"

"It'll be fine, though something or someone might take my place. It's about time you learned to function without me anyway. And as to the second, stand there and wait. And be prepared to deal as if your life depended on it." With those final words, Inner Sakura took a step back, instantly being consumed by the flames that reached out hungrily to greet her. Beneath her she felt Orochimaru shift restlessly. In the stillness of the barren landscape, the sound of scales against bone was loud and pronounced. Sakura could not still a shiver as she awaited the one who would change her life.

-XXX-

The doctors and nurses were worried for the two ninja who, despite their best efforts, refused to wake. There were none who trusted their skills enough to attempt to grapple with the side effects of the Tsukiyomi. And if they were worried for Kakashi Hatake and Sasuke Uchiha, they were utterly bemused and panicked by the case of the young kunoichi Sakura Haruno.

At first, the damage they could see was limited to light chakra burns around her eyes and the same unconscious state that plagued her teammates. But panic set in as the chakra burns began to spread across her body, as if her chakra was turning against her. The specialists were able to repair the burns, as well as take care of the damage remaining from her earlier encounters with Gaara of the Desert, but they knew that if the damage continued, her cells would begin to build a resistance to their healing techniques and the damage would become permanent. They knew her only hope lay in the return of the Slug Princess, before her body entered a state of irreversible degeneration and her own chakra destroyed her.

They couldn't know the extent the damage had already reached.

A/N: I hope you're enjoying the story. Reviews are always appreciated!


	7. Heaven Opposing Everything

**Disclaimer:** Still don't own Naruto. Sad, isn't it?

**A/N:** I'm going to begin this one with an apology for any butchery I might do here of some Japanese mythology and language. I cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information when I received it, and it will be twisted to my use. That being said, please enjoy another chapter, even if it is a little short.

Chapter Seven

Heaven Opposing Everything

Even her breath sounded loud in this place Sakura reflected. From far behind her, she could still hear the spirits trapped in the outer darkness screaming, but it had become like wind through the leaves. Again, the strangeness of the situation caused bile to rise in her throat, threatening to choke her. "Orochimaru, how much time has passed on the outside?" she asked the snake who lay docilely beneath here.

With a reflective shift of his massive white body, a clear set of eyelids blinked over the fathomless golden pools. "So you have noticed. While for you here, no more than a few days have passed, you feel as if you have been here a long time. Your body and mind have become accustomed to the sensations you feel. That is because you have been in a coma for nearly a month. That is why your body has reached such a state of collapse. Soon our body will become resistant to the treatments and the negative force your chakra is exerting will destroy us."

"Don't talk as if you are a part of me!" Sakura hissed down at him.

"Oh, but I am, Sakura-chan. And I always will be now that you have entered this realm." The pools turned into pits lined with sharp spikes, impossible to climb out of. Sakura's gaze was locked on his. "Remember, Sakura-chan, that this is your mind, your creation. It is _you_ who has made me a part of you, just as once you created Inner Sakura."

"If that was true, then I could destroy you as well." Sakura was all but spitting through her teeth in fury, forgetting for a moment that the sheer mass of the serpent she stood on alone could crush her.

"There is a difference between sacrifice and pointless destruction. Haven't you learned anything from the game Sakura-chan? Besides, you cannot destroy me as easily as you seem to think." With another shift of his great body, Sakura was forced to her knees in order not to fall. "We will have such fun when you are on the outside again." He hissed teasingly at her.

Clasping her hands so tightly that she dug bloody half-moons, Sakura scanned the area surrounding her again. _How has it come to this? All I wanted was to be stronger. Strong enough to protect my friends. Strong enough to prove that I deserve to be a ninja. But now…_ Her thoughts drifted off, until with a sudden jerk Sakura's eyelids shot up from where she had closed them to be alone with her thoughts. _Something I can't even do within my own mind it seems, _she reflected wryly, before she returned to her revelation._ That's why I can't give up now. Not when I've come this far. Think of everything Naruto has done, think of every time he pulled together the last of his strength and won. Think of Sasuke, and Kakashi-sensei, and Gai-sensei. Besides, Ino would never forgive me if I lost now. I can't lose._ But, as an apparition wreathed liberally in black flames appeared before her, she wondered if it would be enough.

It was something of a woman and something of a bird, and wholly demon. The very air seemed to crackle with malicious energy and suppressed rage. The black flames, which had earlier died into little more than glowing coalfields, came alive with a roar like a victorious beast. There was the eerie, terrible beauty of the supernatural to the woman, with a beastlike muzzle filled with viscous gnashing fangs, elongated ears peeking out from the mass of long black hair, and eyes that burned with dark fire. But the appendages that caught Sakura's eye the most were the tattered wings that seemed to stretch out forever into the darkness. But then there was no more time for examining the woman as she folded her hands into the dark sleeves of a kimono that had perhaps once been white, but was now a rusty crimson.

"Why have you brought me to this place?" Though the question was asked levelly, it felt as if a thousand tongues of fire hand lashed into Sakura's ears. She brought her hands to her ears gingerly, as sure enough her trembling fingers came away stained with blood.

"Who…what is your name?" Sakura asked, slipping numbly down Orochimaru's side, ignoring the way loose scales caught at her flesh and left bloody streaks down his white sides.

"You, human, are unworthy to pronounce my name. Tell me your purpose in bringing me here before my limited patience runs dry." The voice was still terrible, like a thousand thunder storms had moved into Sakura's head. She was suddenly struck with doubt, but pushed it aside. There was no room for uncertainty here.

Her voice barely trembled as she began, and by the second sentence she managed to keep her voice level, if not confident. She didn't even try to meet the burning eyes. "I tried to copy a jutsu produced by a kekkai genkai. I only managed to trap myself in this place. On the outside, my chakra is trying to destroy my body."

"And so you require a demon's power. And what would you have to offer me in return? Tell me, it was the Sharingan you tried to copy, was it not?"

"Yes, it was the Mangekyo Sharingan. And…" her eyes traced the sea of bones on which she stood, "I…have nothing to offer you."

"A poor answer and a foolish action. Neither would normally interest me. However, there is a way that I would be willing to save you."

"What is it?" It was only because everything had fallen utterly silent that Sakura's words could be heard.

"You will become my host. I tire of the darkness within the scroll case. Tell me, do you agree?"

The words were on the tip of her tongue, the agreement that would save her life, but then Sakura suddenly saw Gaara again, totally at the mercy of the creature that dwelled within him. _Am I that afraid of death that I would turn myself into a monster to avoid it? Never!_ "No!" she shouted at the abomination in front of her. "I won't become a puppet!"

"You are more clever than many of your kind. But you have failed to realize the implications of what you have done. By the spirit you sent, the binding seals which once held me in the scroll case have been transferred to you. Even now they burn themselves deeper into your flesh. Soon they will be graven deep enough that they will appear in the sky of this world. So you have already set your own trap. Soon enough the jaws will close and I will seize control of this world."

Fury suddenly was racing through Sakura's veins, with a kind of reckless courage following along behind. "Who are you to demand anything here? This is my mind. My world. I am the master here. Now tell me your name!" Chains made of kanji so tiny as to be incomprehensible burst through the surface in a shower of bone, wrapping themselves into a tight cocoon around the woman's body. Others fell from the skies, twining themselves around the great wings. A ring of seven columns appeared, more chains anchoring themselves around the demon, pulling themselves through her flesh and curling around her bones.

A terrible scream of rage and pain seemed to rip at the very fabric of the genjutsu. The sky rippled and for a moment Sakura remembered how Itachi's Tsukiyomi had shattered. Pain seemed to become her new reality, as fresh as when she had first been thrust into the deep recesses of her mind. Sakura felt a wet sensation on her face and when she raised a quivering hand to investigate she found her nose had begun to bleed. At the same time a coppery taste filled her mouth. She didn't need a hand to know she had begun to bleed internally at this point. Soon her body, even in this world would no longer be able to take the strain. Summoning the demon must have accelerated her chakra burn, destroying her ever more quickly. As her strength failed her resolve strengthened. "I will not die. I will not be defeated. I will win." Sakura bit out, feeling the warm wash of blood slowly drip to the ground from her quivering lips.

There was a look of burning fury in the eyes of the demon, but also a subtle respect. "Very well. Perhaps you are not such the fool that I took you for, human. I am Amanozako, master. Now release me. I have given you power over me and the outer bindings are now in place. I can do no harm to you without causing my own destruction." Cautiously, Sakura let the fury flow from her and as she did, the chains fell into dust at the feet of the demon. The columns slowly crumbled back into the ground until there was nothing left but the sea of bones and skeletons of trees long dead.

Again she could only stare at the monster that loomed on the sky of her mind. True to the words spoken moments before, already the skies were filling with illuminated symbols, row upon row, forming countless chains of binding.

_Amanozako. Heaven opposing everything. What kind of creature is this? What kind of deal have I made? _Amanzako's terrible smile widened, as if she could read the thoughts that rushed furiously in her mind. "Now little human mistress, sleep a true sleep. I will do what I can to restore our body, though I cannot make us wake. Know only that when we wake, you will see the world through different eyes and with a body that is whole once again."

As she again drifted into the darkness, Sakura shouted into the void, "What have I done?" Haunting laughter followed her into the darkness.

**A/N:** Well, what do you think? Reviews are always appreciated.


	8. Awake: Team Seven Reunites!

**Disclaimer:**__When I own Naruto, I promise you that you'll be the first to know.

**A/N:**

_Sakura's thoughts, Orochimaru or Amanozako speaking_

"Normal speech"

Chapter Eight

Awake: Team Seven Reunites

Her whole body felt like it had been filled with lead. Sakura opened heavy eyes, her gaze immediately drawn to the now familiar brown water stain on the ceiling. Her quiet processing of her situation was interrupted when a loud, exuberant voice all but shouted in her ear, "Sakura-chan, you're all right!"

Almost by reflex Sakura struck out, catching the speaker a good blow in the head from where they had been crouched near her face. Reason suddenly returning, she gasped, "Naruto! I'm so sorry!," as she bolted up in bed. She caught sight of friend, but there were two unfamiliar people in the room, both women. Sakura's eyes widened when she recognized one. "Tsunade…"

The blond woman in question cocked her head to one side. "So you know me then?" Visions of a blond woman with monstrous strength flashed before Sakura's eyes. _But you can't tell her that, can you Sakura-chan? _The familiar sinister voice, more teasing than sinister in its familiarity rang through her head, causing a shiver to rack her body.

"Are you alright?" The dark haired young woman standing next to Tsunade asked with concern.

"I'm fine." Sakura responded with a bright smile, knowing how strange she must have looked. But her thoughts were not so even. _I wouldn't have been surprised to hear Amanozako, but Orochimaru… I just have to remember that he's not the real thing, he's just an illusion I created that speaks with Orochimaru's voice and shares his sense of humor. _

Sakura leapt easily off the bed. Tsunade's eyes narrowed at the action and Sakura asked rather nervously, "Is something wrong?"

"You were in a coma for almost a month. Your muscles should have been weakened by that. And the records show that you had enormous damage to your chakra system, as well as extensive chakra burns. There were also notations about some sort of abnormalities occurring in your eyes, but I couldn't find any. It's strange, that's all." Sakura gave a nervous laugh and ran a nervous hand through messy hair. It didn't help that she heard dark laughter from a point just behind her left shoulder.

"Well, Sakura-chan, I'm glad you're better." Naruto's grin was wide and honest and his blue eyes were shining. For a moment Sakura thought about leaping across the room to give him a hug, but with her first step in his direction, her body froze. The terrible voice of Amanozako was speaking, and she could almost feel the phantom lips against her ear. _Look at him, so happy and shining. He is like a sun, pulling people into his sphere. They all revolve around him. You wouldn't want to dirty him with your presence, would you, with what you have done. Or perhaps, it will be you who destroys him. Wouldn't it to pleasure to know the color of his blood?_

_I have done nothing! It was all an illusion! It wasn't real! And I will never listen to you! Be silent!_ Even as she screamed inside her head the voice died away and she began to move. Her steps were firm as she walked over and embraced her friend. It was the first time she had ever hugged Naruto, Sakura realized quietly. _He does smell like sunshine,_ she thought as she buried her head in his shoulder. "Thank you." She breathed into the dusty orange cloth of his jacket. She could almost feel the heat of his blush from her position.

"Eh? Sakura-chan?" he asked nervously.

Sakura gave him her best, most blinding smile. "I'm just glad to see you again."

"Ah! The flower of youth blossoms again!" The familiar voice rang from the door. Sakura turned to greet him, the smile still on her face, but it turned quizzical as Gai-sensei stared at her, looking at her eyes for something.

"Something wrong, Gai-sensei?" she enquired.

"Your eyes, they're normal…" his voice trailed off as he peered determinedly at her. Sakura frantically searched her memory for what he was talking about. Orochimaru answered her unasked question. _After we broke the Tsukyomi our eyes were in a sort of Mangenkyo form. He must have witnessed it._

_I wish you wouldn't speak of us in the plural, _Sakura thought wryly. _So you're saying that my eyes transformed into a Mangenky form._

_An imperfect one. It was that transformation that triggered your decline. I took the opportunity to fix your eyes, however, which is why they do not carry that appearance. I have little use for a blind host. For the moment you have the emerald eyes of your past. Soon, however, your eyes will no longer look as they do now. _There was a thoughtful pause in Orochimaru's speech. Then he said in a tone almost foreign to the his usual teasing sadism,_ It is good that you have silenced Amanozako. Terrible things begin to happen as she begins to speak. Now you will only hear her when you visit here, as you have given her a command and you are still the master of this mind. You should see that continues to be the case if you don't want to end up destroying everyone and everything you hold dear._

_What?!_ The voices were silent, however, and Sakura returned her attention to her audience. Gai was still staring at her, but then he shook his head. "It's good to see you back. Do your best then! Burn in the fires of passion and youth once again!" Before Sakura had time to even blink, Gai had disappeared out the door.

"So, Naruto, who is this?" Naruto, who had been staring out the door after Gai, returned his attention to Sakura.

With another broad grin he cheerfully explained, "She's the new Hokage! I had to go find her with the pervy Sage so she could fix you guys. She already healed Sasuke-teme and Kakashi-sensei. She's amazing!" Sakura turned to look at the woman who it was obvious Naruto admired. A glance told her what she already suspected. The young blond woman was looking with fondness at the brash young ninja. _She's already been pulled into world, whether or not she realizes it._

_She's not that young._ Orochimaru commented from his imaginary position by her right ear. _She's as least fifty. It's a jutsu that gives her the illusion of youth._

"So are you alright? Can we go?" Naruto asked eagerly.

Sakura looked to Tsunade for permission. "She should be fine."

"All right! Let's get Sasuke-teme and get out of here!" Naruto shouted, grabbing Sakura's hand. He made for the door, but Tsunade's strident voice stopped him.

"Wait! Give the Uchiha a little time to recover before you go pulling him around." She commanded.

"What for? You said Sakura-chan was fine, so why wouldn't Sasuke-teme?" Naruto's pose was belligerent and familiar, which warmed Sakura's heart even if it did nothing wipe away the guilt and images from the world she had been trapped in. Here she hadn't lost Naruto, not like then. Not to a cunning move from an even more cunning adversary. Here she had never seen his destruction dancing in front of her eyes. Never seen his blood mingle with others to form a fountain pool in a courtyard of dark stone in a world with no sun.

"Her case is remarkable. You can go visit the Uchiha and he should be able to leave, but try to remember he's been asleep for a while." Tsunade's voice brought her back to the present again.

"Yeah! Believe it! Let's go, Sakura-chan!" And with those words Sakura was swept along with the whirlwind that called itself Naruto. What felt like seconds later she found herself at another of the countless doors that populated the hospital's hall. Naruto threw the door open with a clatter, pulling her into a room where her third teammate sat staring vacantly at the wall across from his bed.

She was prepared to be happy to see him again, which explained the light rising sensation in her chest, but there was a sensation of completeness with them all standing here together that felt better than that. Not even Naruto's enthused, "Sasuke-teme! I'm back and I brought Sakura with me!" Could break that mood. So for a moment she allowed herself to forget everything and just go back to it being the three of them again. _This feeling, this moment, I want it to be like this forever._

The rest of the day found Team Seven idly wondering through the streets of the village, two quiet and one as loud as ever he had been. And when Sakura finally managed to sleep in her own bed for the first time in a long time, she thought to herself that today had been one of those rare days that she would always remember to treasure from now on. _Because it can all be taken away so easily, by these very fingers. _It wasn't Sakura's voice, but it was Sakura's fingers that clenched in her pillow as she sunk into a world filled with dark dreams.

Sakura woke before dawn the next morning to screams and the sound of her alarm clock. The screams went away as she was pulled into awareness, but the blaring noise of her alarm didn't. Rather grumpily she contemplated which was worse. A cool shower later, her normal state of cheer had returned. The noticeable lack of other voices contributed to her feeling of euphoria and beginning. During the near month she had spent in a coma her hair had begun to grow out again, which made it easy to pull into the still habitual tail. Her bangs now brushed the edges of her collar bones as they hung in front of her face, but that didn't really concern her that much.

What did concern her was getting dressed and restarting her routine before she had to meet with Team Seven for training. In her hurry to replace her hairbrush and grab some clothes, she accidentally bumped something that had been sitting on her dresser. With reflexes only slightly dulled from her time spent asleep she managed to catch it before it hit the ground. When she realized what it was she replaced it hurriedly, brushing her hands against the sides of her pajamas. It was a scroll case and though it was no longer littered with the symbols that had once captured Amanozako. _What was the Third doing with such a thing anyway? And why give it to me?_

Pushing her thoughts away to ponder on later, Sakura dressed. The outfit was still the simple sleeveless top and fitted shorts, along with the bandages that protected her hands and the arm- and leg-warmers that concealed her weights. It was a shock to wear them once again, but even her pre-encounter weights didn't feel that heavy. _ I was out for a month. My reflexes and muscles should be at a much lower level than this._

Orochimaru's sly whisper in her ear caused a chill to run down her spine, but elicited no other response. She didn't know whether to be grateful or afraid of her unwilling acceptance of his presence. _Amanozoko healed your body. If you were to look at your hands, you no longer even have the scars from the Shukaku's attack. It is part of what a demon does for its host, especially as that was the point of your bargain._

With a heartfelt sigh Sakura slipped out the window and into the morning to face a new day. An hour later she was out of breath, but happy, if a little bemused. Her chakra control had always been good, but she didn't remember it being quite so easy and instinctual as it seemed now.

_You have spent the last month of your life projecting a continuous genjutsu, an activity that requires excellent chakra control to begin with. Most ninja would have died from even attempting an undertaking like that. But you have managed to take your control to a different t level. Think of it as training._ The ever amused voice of Orochimaru was still an intrusion, if helpful. _Now hurry up or you'll be late for training._

_Like I could be later than Kakashi-sensei, even if I do have to talk with voices on the way,_ Sakura thought wryly. Then with a sense of rising anticipation she took off towards the red bridge that Team Seven had claimed for their own use. _I never really got to show them what I could do,_ she thought to herself. A wide grin spread itself across her face. It was time Team Seven learned exactly what its members could do.


	9. Once Upon A Team

**Disclaimer: **Oh, what I would do if I owned Naruto…

**A/N: **Thanks to all who review! I hope you enjoy the new chapter and I'm sorry for making you wait.

-Five Kingdoms for the Dead-

Chapter Nine

-Once Upon a Team-

As she leapt from rooftop to rooftop Sakura's mind kept pace with her feet. One great part of it was devoted to thinking about the new Hokage, the blond woman she had seen only once under the harsh lights of a hospital room. She sighed internally. _Too bad Naruto didn't really say anything about her other than what he told me in the hospital yesterday. I know she's one of the Sennin, but that's about it. _

_Her specialty is chakra control, which she uses to heal and create super-strength, _Orochimaru commented nonchalantly.

This time Sakura really did sigh. _It's way too early in the morning to have to deal with this. And how do you know all this any way?,_ she demanded. _After all, you keep telling me that I created you._

_Only too true, but you have forgotten something,_ his hissing voice was smug.

_What?_

_When you shattered Itachi Uchiha's Tsukyomi you gathered residual memories. Your other self told you that, which was why you knew about the demon in the scroll case at all. Those memories are now firmly embedded in your subconscious, and I am your personification of that subconscious. Be grateful, most people can't access their subconscious except when they're in the deepest realms of sleep._ It was obvious from his voice that he relished explain these exasperating things to her, things that got more strange as she went along.

She came to a rather sudden realization, one that almost made her lose her footing and take a headlong plunge into the side a building. _So I still have that Uchiha in my head?!_

_I don't see why you're complaining. You certainly had the other one in here for long enough. You should see the memories you have in here._

So it was that when Sakura arrived to the bridge, her cheeks were painted a vivid crimson.

Sasuke had already arrived before her and was occupying himself by leaning nonchalantly against the railing. Sakura blushed an even darker red as she met his eyes and she could nearly see the way he internally rolled his eyes. She could almost read the exasperated thoughts traveling through his mind. It was somewhat painful, even though she had been prepared for that reaction at some level. _I'd hoped he would have realized that I've changed._ With the slightly bitter thought her blush calmed and her skin regained its normal ivory tint.

An awkward silence reigned as she flung her legs over the rail some distance from Sasuke and sat staring into the water, kicking her legs gently at the supports in an almost perfect mirror of her position that day Gai-sensei had found her on the wall. _Maybe this can be a new beginning for Team Seven, like that day was a new beginning for me. A beginning where everyone can be equal. Not dead last. Not a crying deadweight. But can Sasuke handle that?_

Sakura peered at her teammate stealthily from beneath her lashes, though he probably wouldn't have found it odd if she had blatantly stared. Sakura felt that such gestures would now make her uncomfortable, even if he wasn't bothered. Cataloguing the feelings she felt looking at him now, her former obsessive interest had all but disappeared. Distance had been good for her, allowing her to admit his physical attractiveness, without putting him on any pedestal of perfection. Because he wasn't the Sasuke-kun she had so naively convinced herself he was.

"Hey!" The loud shout caught both of the genins' attention, causing them to turn to the rapidly approaching orange blur that resolved itself into their third teammate.

"Hey, Naruto!" Sakura answered brightly. A slight grunt served as a greeting from the stoic Uchiha. With the simple act of walking onto the bridge, the aura of awkward silence was broken as Naruto began an eager retelling of some of the humorous escapades that he had gone on with his 'Pervy Sage'. He also threw in the occasional broad hint of a few new moves he was eager to show them in the next big battle they ran onto. It was in this matter that they passes the hours of waiting that was the norm of anyone of Kakashi Hatake's acquaintance.

So it was that they were still like that when Kakashi appeared with his excuses. Before he revealed himself to his students he quietly studied them. He was worried that Itachi's reappearance would increase Sasuke's already worrying need for revenge and make Orochimaru's offer of power more palatable to the young ninja. Naruto looked near the same as ever, chattering at his teammates with great enthusiasm, but there was no telling what Jiriaya had taught the ninja with the great resemblance to the Fourth. His careful eye took in Sakura, who was sitting further from Sasuke than she usually did, putting herself equidistant from both her teammates. His visible eye narrowed. _That last attack by the Sound, what she did to those ninja. I wonder._ _Is she putting herself on equal terms with the others now? And she was attacked by Itachi too, though Gai didn't seem to want to tell me much about it. _ All in all his genin team had made themselves more worrisome than the discordant new team he had met months ago.

Leaping lightly down to land on an arch of the bridge, he began the now familiar routine, "Sorry I'm late guys. I got lost on the road of life."

"Liar!" chorused two parts of the three man whole. Sasuke simply averted his eyes even further.

"Well now, it's good to see you all so eager. Does that mean you're ready to get back to training?" The eagerness, where once it had been distributed so unequally, now shone from all of his students. Naruto's was bright and shining, burning and purifying, and almost overwhelming in its intensity. It showed in his wide grin and cerulean blue eyes, in every line of his eager stance and clenched fist. Sakura's was newer than Naruto's, more subdued and controlled, quiet and directed, but showed in the way she immediately slid with that new quickness to stand nearer to him. In Sasuke it was the cold gleam of ambition and a dark fire in his eyes that gave him away.

Kakashi suppressed a sigh. Not only would they have to return that darkness to something brighter, but this would mean some significant effort on his part. "Let's begin then."

Several minutes later found them at their familiar training grounds by the river, staring at the posts where they had learned their first lesson in teamwork. "Right, what are we doing today Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked brightly when it became apparent no one else was going to say anything.

"How about we do something that would require absolutely no ninja skills?" Kakashi asked, slipping the familiar orange covered novel from his pouch and opening it to an especially interesting passage.

"What?!" Naruto screamed it, Sakura said it, and Sasuke asked it in the widening of his eyes, but the reaction was there for all of them.

"Well, maybe some ninja skills," Kakashi admitted, but the tenseness of his pupil's postures didn't cease. "It'll be a teamwork exercise. We haven't had one of those for a while. Here's how it'll work. I will go and read _Icha Icha Paradise_ somewhere in the forest. You'll have to come find me. But," and he held up a cautioning hand, "each of you will be deprived of several of your senses. If you want to find me, you'll have to work together."

There eagerness dimmed a little with each of his words, but Naruto still had enough to glimmer at the end of his speech. At least this time he refrained from making any rash declarations of the ease of the exercise, because Kakashi fully intended to make it hard enough that several of the less talented tracker-non would have problems finding him.

"Let's just get this over with." Sasuke muttered, his first words to the group all day. It seemed his silence since awakening was finally wearing off, though it had taken an entire day in the company of his team and then some to get him to this point. His stance was his familiar, hand in pockets one that distanced himself once again from the group.

"Alright. We'll start with one of the senses that a ninja tends to depend most on. Sight." Reaching once again into his pouch, he pulled out two wide black blindfolds, which he then proceed to toss at Sasuke and Sakura. He noticed how they looked like a matched pair as they stared incredulously at the blindfolds, though he didn't know that Sasuke was the only one really incredulous. Sakura was simply staring in resigned familiarity at the piece of cloth, being reminded of several vicious sessions conducted in pure darkness with Gai-sensei. The threatened sessions with the tracker-nin had never materialized, the Third dying before he could order them. The thought made her crush the blindfold in her hand and stare at Kakashi for further instructions. But none of this was known to her teacher.

He was still looking at his students. Sasuke was still wearing the ensemble he had worn to the chunnin exams, the forest green body suit, with bandages and straps along his arms. His hair was getting long again, heightening his resemblance to his brother, though Kakashi would never tell him that. Sakura was in a charcoal black sleeveless top again, with the same high collar and fitted shorts. She still wore the matching white with black trim arm- and leg-warmer combination with the same bandaged hands as she had that last time he had seen her with after the chunnin exams. Her hair was still in the same low ponytail as before, with her bangs beginning to brush her collarbone. Naruto was the same as ever, somehow unchanging in his appearance even as he matured almost beyond recognition at times.

But enough was enough. "What about me Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Don't worry, I haven't forgotten you. Naruto, you're going to be the eyes today. Sasuke, you're going to be the nose, and Sakura, you'll be the ears. If you want to find me, you'll have to work together. Even communicating is going to be a challenge once you put on your gear, so I imagine you'll have quite the time of it. Count to fifty after this and come after me." Kakashi chuckled as he tossed earplugs to Naruto and Sasuke, and specially designed masks that resembled his at Sakura and Naruto.

With a sigh his students resigned themselves to worlds without senses they had come to depend on and rather unwillingly they donned the equipment. They looked rather ridiculous standing there adjusting, but he took the time to escape before they managed to acclimate themselves.

Sakura adjusted quickly to the blindfold, but she had a little trouble with the sheer blandness of not being able to smell anything beyond slightly stale air. With an internal push, she sent out her chakra, sensing the chakra of her two teammates and in less concentrated amounts the chakra of everything else around her. She felt the sorriest for Sasuke, who had just had his two strongest senses taken away, but there was a nudge of resentment in the fact that Kakashi obviously considered him the greatest threat. Sense came moments later, reminding her that to Kakashi's limited knowledge he was the greatest threat, despite the statement her actions at the chunnin exams had made.

Moving forward, she gently touched Sasuke's elbow, which made him flinch, but she didn't bother speaking to reassure him, as she knew he wouldn't hear her. Instead, she settled for applying gentle pressure, which he responded to by relaxing. Extending a hand in the direction Naruto's chakra lay in, she heard his breath of surprise, but his warm, slightly damp hand took her soon enough. With hand signals she managed to communicate to him that he was to lead them in the direction Kakashi had taken. She was reduced to more or less pulling Sasuke after them, because he had decided to become a rather unrelenting block of stone.

Several hours later, they were no closer to finding Kakashi, but they had developed a system. Sakura had wished for eyes to appreciate Sasuke's first several attempts to find Kakashi on his own, but although he still refused any attempt at holding hands, he stood near enough to make her uncomfortable but enough for him to sense her presence, which he had blatantly refused to do with Naruto. Touches to his elbow or forearm alerted him of sudden changes of direction and Naruto made sure to give trees a wide enough berth that he didn't run into them. The few times he had tried Sakura had easily steered him away. She could almost see Naruto's expression of sneaking suspicion in her mind. She wasn't sure what his reaction would be when he realized that she really didn't have to stick with them in the same way Sasuke had become dependent on them.

But she had allowed Naruto to lead long enough. The source of heat that was the sun had moved too far for her to be satisfied, so she managed to get their ragtag little team to stop. What she was going to do would alert Kakashi to the fact that they were looking with for him, but he already knew that, so it wasn't like she would lose the element of surprise. Building up her chakra to a peak, she released it in a pulsing wave. She felt Sasuke shift marginally in surprise next to her, as well as the jump Naruto made when her chakra came in contact with his. The first few times she had done this it had been impossible to interpret the mass of signals that was the pattern made by her chakra coming into contact with objects. Her 'vision' in this case was still rather blurry, but she could still manage a victorious grin as she 'spotted' her lazy teacher sitting in a tree not horribly far from where they were.

As the chakra signal faded, she gathered the hands of both her companions and began to lead them at a furious pace through the trees. When they neared where she had sensed him, she brought them to a halt, dropping their hands. She had brought them this far, but someone else would have to spot Kakashi from here. It wouldn't be teamwork. She felt Sasuke shift at her right shoulder and was pleasantly surprised when he took her hand and began to pull her in the direction she knew Kakashi was. A grin formed underneath her mask as she caught at Naruto's hand. Team Seven was back.


	10. Calm Before the Storm: Part I

Disclaimer: (Sigh…) No, don't own and never will. Unfortunately Neji isn't mine either. Now try and tell me that isn't sad.

A/N: Sorry for the time it took to get this one out. I promise that Team Seven will go to the Land of Tea, and Sasuke will have to make a decision, but not this chapter.

Five Kingdoms for the Dead

Chapter Ten

Calm Before the Storm: Part I

It was the noon hour of the day after Kakashi-sensei's newest test of their teamwork, which luckily had turned out to be a success on their part. Both Sakura and Sasuke had given in to Naruto's incessant demands for going out for ramen, though they had done the same thing just yesterday after training. They had just finished another boring D-class mission and had the next few hours off before they had to meet with Kakashi again.

Wearily Sakura examined the wet, steaming bowl of noodles that had just been set in front of her. Naruto was already inhaling his by the time she had even reached for her chopsticks and broken them apart. Before she could even lift the noodles from red glazed bowl, a loud cry of "Sasuke-kun!" and the impact of another body throwing itself over Sasuke interrupted her.

The sigh she had considered breathing morphed itself into a sly grin. She picked up her chopsticks from where she had laid them in preparation for berating Ino, more out of habit than actual inclination, and without even turning her head to look, said "It's so sad that you have to throw yourself at men like that Ino-pig." Sakura shrugged nonchalantly, feeling burning waves of irritation stab at her from Ino's direction. "But I suppose that's the only way you can get close to them without them turning and running from your ugly face."

"Ah!! Forehead-girl, you better watch your mouth!" Ino took a swipe at her, but Sakura dodged it so quickly that it appeared that Ino had missed.

"Getting a little clumsy in our old age, Ino-pig?" Sakura taunted, not even pausing in bringing the salty noodles to her mouth. "Or maybe you're just a little too slow?"

With a strangled cry, Ino launched herself bodily at Sakura, but to Sakura's trained eyes, it was almost as if she moved in slow motion. A sluggish feeling of power and supremacy crawled through her veins, but Sakura recognized the poisonous feel of them and quickly strangled the emotions. Amanozako may have been silenced and contained, but that didn't seem to stop the subtle cues that indicated she was still trying to influence her host. Sakura wouldn't allow that to happen. But she wasn't going to stop her taunting of her best female friend just because some of some demon interference either. So, in a move that would have made Gai-sensei shed tears of joy, she pinned Ino to the ground with her foot, all the while never releasing her hold on her bowl of noodles.

"Sorry, Ino-pig. I guess you'll have to try a little harder than that." An inhuman growl was her reward from where Ino lay face down in the dirt.

"This is troublesome." Shikamaru's drawling exclamation turned Team Seven's attention from Ino and Sakura to the remainder of Ino's team.

"Hey Shikamaru, Choji!," Naruto greeted in between great gulps of ramen, "You here for some ramen too?"

"Nah, we were going to go grab some barbecue, but Ino saw Sasuke and you guys over here, and she insisted that we had to come say hi." The lazy genius of the Village Hidden in the Leaves explained with his usual lack of enthusiasm. Sakura smiled warmly, reveling in the simple normality of this scene, which had happened a dozen times before. It was in moments like this it almost felt as if she had never been trapped in that dark hall and made a darker deal with an unknown demon.

"Hurry up you, guys. Asuma-sensei said we only had an hour, so let's go." Choji said from where he had been staring longingly in the direction of his favorite barbeque restaurant, probably already calculating a strategy about what he was going to order.

"See you guys later!" Naruto called cheerfully after them.

Sasuke shoved his empty bowl away from him and asked, "Are you ready to go?"

"Go where Sasuke?" Sakura asked curiously as she finished up the last of her order.

Sasuke narrowed his obsidian eyes and turned his head to look at his only female team mate. It hadn't escaped his notice that something was different about her since they had left the hospital. Even before that, when she had been facing the sand monster that Gaara had become, she had performed moves that had left him speechless. He had barely even recognized her when she had showed up with Naruto. It was like a lithe, confident stranger had taken her place, one with burning determination and the ability to back it up. But when she had shown up in his hospital room after that person's attack, it was like another metamorphosis had taken place.

It wasn't something he could point out exactly, just like he couldn't quite figure out what had changed in Naruto since his return, but it was a change he read most clearly in her eyes. And it hadn't escaped his notice that he was no longer 'Sasuke-kun'. Something had happened and he wanted to know what, but he wasn't about to just come out and ask. At any rate it didn't matter. Her success with Gaara had ended in defeat. She was undoubtedly just as useless as ever, even if she wasn't as annoying as she had been. He pushed her strange independence despite the sight and smell handicaps of yesterday from his mind. She wouldn't change.

"Hey, Lee!" Naruto annoying shout greeted the approach of yet another 'intruder' into Team Seven's delicate balance.

"Greetings, Naruto!" A blinding smile forced them all to blink to clear their sight. "Gai-sensei and Kakashi-sensei want to meet us at the gate."

"What?! We were supposed to have another two hours at least! Kakashi-sensei promised!" Naruto whined.

"Let's go." And with the stoic Uchiha's words, the group took off towards the training grounds.

That turned into a kind of race between Naruto and Lee, and though Lee could have beat him easily, he held back enough to make it entertaining, at least to Sasuke and Sakura, who followed at a steady pace behind them. As they approached the gate, Sasuke's eyes narrowed. Standing near the distinctive green-clad figure of Gai were the two remaining members of Lee's team. The arrogant Hyuuga and the female weapons mistress were watching their approach quietly. As Lee joined them in a green blur of speed, it was difficult not to make comparisons between their team and his own.

"What's going on Kakashi?" he inquired the moment his feet touched the grass of the training grounds.

"Well, Gai has proposed another challenge, and I felt that I couldn't disappoint him. After all, he was so eager." There was a good deal of sly eye crinkling going on, while Gai fumed at his rival's coolness nearby. "Also, we'll be on a mission that might take a few days, so these arrangements will ensure that you don't neglect your training while we're gone. As you know, there is a shortage of ninja caused by the attack during the chunnin exams."

However, the taijutsu master recovered quickly and began to explain the challenge. "I said that my team was capable of working with anyone and making a successful team. So, in order to prove that, and to see which combination is the best, we're going to split you into three groups and give you a mission to complete. Take this an opportunity to appreciate the youthfulness of your peers." Gai didn't mention that Kakashi hoped it would help his rather dysfunctional team appreciate each other more and help them resolve their teamwork issues, nor his worry that splitting them would have an opposite effect. Gai also hadn't mentioned his eagerness to see just how well Sakura could use her new skills when presented with an opportunity and a partner more willing to let her carry her own weight.

"Well, don't worry too much about it. Because you'll only be working in a two man team, the missions are at most low B-rank. Splitting you like this not only gives us an opportunity to test your skills, but also accomplish more missions." Kakashi said, finally closing his book as the genin eyed their seniors, "Naruto, you'll be working with Rock Lee." The two accepted the pairing with eager grins, both ready and willing to work with each other. "Sasuke, you'll work with Tenten." The Uchiha surprisingly looked rather expressionless, confident in his ability to carry the team and willing to accept a capable female partner. Tenten wasn't exactly adverse to her handsome new partner either, having already witnessed his considerable talent as a ninja. "That leaves Sakura to work with Neji. Your first task will to be to find the scroll that has your names on it and contains directions for your missions. Sasuke, your teams scroll can be found at our usual training grounds. Lee and Naruto, you'll find yours at Gai's usual training grounds. Neji, Sakura, you'll find yours at the arena complex where the chunnin exams were held."

"Good luck!" Gai proclaimed, striking his Nice Guy pose as the three pairs of gennins streaked off in different directions.

"Yeah, good luck." Kakashi agreed before both he and Gai disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

"Can you go faster?" Neji asked politely from Sakura's side. With a nod, she increased her speed and with it the pleasant feeling of exhilaration that was filling her inexplicably. Excitement was certainly there, but she couldn't exactly pinpoint why, simply that it was. By her side, Neji matched her step for step in silence, but it wasn't exactly the hostile silence that surrounded Sasuke. Neji wasn't one who couldn't admit his own teammate's power, or felt that his power was challenged by his teammate's own. With Neji she felt no fear of driving him further away, because he wasn't close to her to begin with. A smile tugged at the edges of Sakura's lips. _This is going to be fun._ With a leap, she pulled ahead and began to use the speed she had built in her time with Gai-sensei. Neji pulled alongside moments later, and he sent a thoughtful look her way.

"Fast enough?" Sakura asked in challenge.

"Hm. Not yet." With that, a small challenge started, each figure going so fast that a civilian wouldn't even be able to see them. A small smile of satisfaction crossed Neji's face. He did dislike working with incompetent people.

There quick steps brought them to the arena and they barely slowed as Neji took advantage of his kekkai genkai to find the scroll quickly. It took them only a moment to scan the mission scroll, a fairly basic escort mission with a low to moderate risk of attack. "Meet in front of the ramen stand after we get supplies?" Sakura asked.

"Right." With a nod, Neji fairly disappeared in the direction of the Hyuuga compound. Using chakra to enhance her already considerable speed, Sakura nearly flew back to her house, where she grabbed the backpack she already had packed and waiting. She wasn't about to make Neji wait. It didn't take her long to reappear in front of the ramen stand, which now that she thought about it, really was a silly place to meet. But it had been her suggestion, so there was nothing for it but to wait the few minutes it would take Neji to get there.

"Well, well, forehead girl, I see your teammates finally wised up and left you behind, huh?"

"Ino." Sakura said in a tone close to a growl. While she had reconciled with the blond girl, there were still subjects that still hurt, especially the suggestion that her teammates would leave her. Her concern about Sasuke was always there, nagging at the back of her consciousness, joining the darkness residing there. As it was she turned and smirked haughtily at her fellow nin. "That would only happen to you, Ino-pig." They faced each other for a moment, the tension filling the air. Shikamaru and Choji had come to stand behind Ino and were looking between the two irate females with an air of exasperation.

"Sakura." The deep, even voice sounded at her shoulder. Sakura relaxed her stance at once, where she had tensed defensively. "Are you ready to go?" Neji asked.

"Wha? Wait, why would she go with you?" Ino asked, shaking her fists, angry at being their confrontation being interrupted.

"Perhaps because she is my partner. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have somewhere to be." A cautioning hand brushed against Sakura's back like a butterfly alighting there. Sakura sighed. It would appear that Neji's competitive streak had awakened full force. A delighted grin followed the realization. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. Without another word to the stunned Ino, both gennin dashed in the direction of the Hokage's office.


	11. Calm Before the Storm: Part II

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I humbly request a moment of silence for that tragedy.

A/N: Thanks to all of you who reviewed! Sorry for taking so long to get this one uploaded, but I finally got around to actually watching the episodes where Sasuke leaves. After that it took me a while to convince myself he didn't deserve to die within the next few chapters for sheer idiocy. I compromised with myself and started another dark fic, although I'm not sure it'll make it online. On another note, in this fic I write most names in the American tradition, rather than attempting to preserve the Japanese order of placing the surname first.

Five Kingdoms for the Dead

Chapter Eleven

Calm Before the Storm: Part II

"Good morning, Tsunade-sama." Sakura said, accompanying the greeting with a respectful bow of her head, letting the pink waterfall of her bangs hide her eyes as she once again assessed the blond stranger who had become one of the most powerful people in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. She quickly quelled the thoughts, lest any 'help' arise from Orochimaru. Luckily, he had been very silent today, but Sakura doubted she would be lucky enough to have his presence simply fade. Before she had been sacrificed Inner Sakura had warned something might take her place, and it appeared that Sakura's image of the infamous Snake Sannin had filled the void admirably.

"Tsunade-sama." Neji's greeting was considerably more reserved than her own, though it lacked none of the respect that seemed to be bred into him. Unlike Sasuke, who only invoked courtesy when he wanted to irritate his opponent, or Naruto, to whom respect seemed to a foreign language. Naruto could do awe and speechless amazement, but that was the limit of his range. _But_, Sakura thought to herself, _I have to stop comparing him to my team. For the rest of this mission, he is my team, not a replacement. I have to remember that_.

"Well, you guys are the first." There was a teasing lilt to the woman's full lips, as if she found the whole idea fairly amusing. "You two are the escort mission, right?" When they nodded she motioned for the dark haired woman at her side, "Shizune, go get the item they'll be taking."

"An item? I thought this was an escort mission?" Sakura asked curiously, raising her head to look straight at the women.

"Mm. That's what we're getting paid for, but all you have to do is make sure that the scroll Shizune brings in gets to the proper village in the Land of Earth." Shizune walked back into the room as the Hokage was speaking, holding a scroll case of a size that no more than two or three scrolls could fit in it. It appeared to be crafted of maple, and a tasseled crimson cord was tied in an elaborate knot to seal the lid shut.

"Not the Hidden Village?" Neji asked from where he stood near Sakura's shoulder.

"No. This village is near the border. You'll find a map in the real mission scroll." Tsunade explained.

"Do we know what the scrolls contain?" Sakura asked, her new wariness of scroll cases with unknown content making her slightly suspiscous of the seemingly benign case of pale, smooth wood.

"No. That was part of the request, that the case remain sealed. All you two have to do is deliver it to a Kioshi Takumi, who runs a bath house in the village of Surotaiga. Now, do you want to keep asking questions and lose your lead, or do you want to start?" Neji and Sakura could only blink in surprise as their contest was so blatantly encouraged. "Well, take the your mission scroll and the scroll case and get going!"

"Hai, Tsunade-sama." With that, Sakura accepted the scroll from the Hokage, while Neji added the scroll case to his pack. Without another word the two genin made for the gate with all the haste their superior speed would allow.

"How long do you think this will take?" Sakura asked her partner after they had greeted the guards and passed through the enormous gates that represented the safety and solidity of Konoha. She peered at him through her lashes, all the while concentrating on keeping their brisk pace through the treetops. It wasn't an activity she had noticed herself doing that often, but now that she thought about it, she really did know nearly every line of her teammate's features. It only stood to reason that she would allow herself to give the infamous Neji Hyuga the same evaluation.

He still wore the same beige top and brown shorts that had characterized him during the exams, but the very neutrality of his outfit highlighted his not unimpressive looks. There was a subtlety to him, caught in his intelligent, well-crafted face, in his all-seeing pearl white eyes, in the flowing waterfall of hair caught midway down his back with a leather band. His every moment was filled with the same flowing, elegant grace he displayed in battle. Yes, Neji Hyuga was indeed an impressive specimen among the male genin of Konoha.

"Shall I answer your question or would you prefer for me to wait for you to quit staring?" His low, amused voice made her smile in return.

"Oh, I think I can manage both, so if you want to answer, feel free." She was rather startled, though it didn't manage to change her tone of voice. The form was the one she remembered, but it lacked the all consuming arrogance that had once defined him. _Has Naruto changed him that much already? Or is he making an effort?_

"We can't all be as surly and irritable as the Uchiha," he commented dryly. _Darn his observation skills. _Sakura thought to herself. "Well, this whole mission will probably take a week. Three days to make it to Earth, one day for delivery, and three on the return trip."

"That's if we don't get attacked on the way. Why are they paying for a B-class escort mission when a C-class transport would have gotten it there anyway? There's something in that scroll case that someone wants. And they want it badly enough to pay more to get it there." Sakura's emerald eyes narrowed at the bag slung across Neji's back, in which she knew the scroll case was stored.

"You're right. There's something we aren't being told. But without knowing what that is we can only be on our guard. Perhaps it would be best to not advertise our status as ninja. Especially once we cross Fire Country borders." Neji's tone was full of his confidence in his abilities.

"Will that slow us down?" Sakura asked, hesitant to do anything that might slow them or jeopardize the mission.

"No, not it shouldn't. Not with your speed and mine, and provided you don't mind traveling at night. With our ninjutsu we're less likely to be spotted then. And with my Byakugan we'll have the advantage over any ninja that try to sneak up on us."

"It's a good plan. Did you bring civilian clothes?"

"I wouldn't have proposed a plan I wasn't prepared for. You're working with me, not Naruto."

"Hey," Sakura retorted playfully, "Naruto's not that bad. He beat you, didn't he?"

"Hmph. If you have enough energy to tease, you can go faster. Let's see how much distance we can put between ourselves and Konoha between now and lunch." Neji increased his speed until he was just about to his fastest maintainable level. Sakura matched him step for step.

"Hey, there's a festival going on in the outpost town, isn't there? If we stop there for dinner, we can rest there until nightfall. There'll be lots of people, so we can blend in, and they usually hire guards, so as long as we stay close, we shouldn't have to worry much." She spoke to him without slowing her pace, drawing nearer to him so that could speak without shouting.

"All right." With that Neji reached the end of his talkative mood, not speaking again until they neared the outpost town.

"We should change before we enter the town. A cover story shouldn't be necessary, but friends attend festivals together all time." Neji disappeared behind a nearby grove of trees and Sakura took the chance to change into a light yukata. Simple in its execution it was a pale crème color, with only the light sprinkling of embroidered sakura petals on its sleeves and hem and a sky blue obi to lighten its design. It was perfect for blending in at a festival of this sort, as well as being nearly as easy to fight in as her normal ninja gear. _I take that back, _Sakura thought ruefully as she tugged at the long sleeves. _This will be nothing like fighting in something that has absolutely no excess cloth._

"Ready to go?" Neji asked from his side of the trees.

"Yes. Well, I'm dressed at any rate." Sakura answered.

"Then let's go." Neji reemerged from behind his screen of foliage, dressed in a tasteful yukata in muted green, against which a golden dragon weaved its way through the cloth. He had also removed the band from his hair, and it fell across his shoulder and covered the bandage over the mark on his forehead. Hefting his pack back across his shoulders, he began to walk down to the village, confident that Sakura would soon follow.

The town was loud and noisy. That was Sakura's first impression of the civilian town, so different from the more disciplined streets of the hidden village. Everywhere there were people, a bustling mass of humanity. Vendors lined the streets, selling souvenirs and food, and small games were assembled in every spare space. "Don't get separated from me." Neji muttered to her and she pulled closer to him, until she was standing just behind his shoulder. She was close enough that she could feel the heat of his body through the thin material of her yukata, which in turn heated her cheeks. She made an effort to ignore the faint laughter she heard at the edge of her consciousness.

"We certainly won't be recognized in this crowd. Why are there so many people?" she asked to dispel the feeling as she slipped between two more yukata-clad bodies to keep up with Neji.

"I think they're setting off fireworks tonight. Ah, there's a restaurant. Or would you prefer to get something else?" he asked courteously, though his obvious preference was to sit and eat.

"The restaurant's fine. After we eat we can relax with a cup of tea until it's time to go." That was how they spent the next few hours, in a relaxed silence after a friendly meal, a silence that had never seemed to fall on Team Seven. There had always been Naruto's chatter, or the ever competitive edge between the two rivals. _This is nice,_ Sakura thought to herself as she idly watched the steam curling off her cup of black tea. _This silence, it's peaceful. Why couldn't it always be like this? _The golden moment stretched out as the soft chatter of the other customers filled her ears, as well as the soft sounds of Neji's movements as he enjoyed the last of his tea.

The peace was broken with a boom like rolling thunder, and most of the civilians flinched. Neji only raised his eyes composedly to look out the window near their table. "They've started letting off the fireworks. It's time to go." With a sigh, Sakura stood and smoothed the wrinkles from the her clothes.

But then she sent a blinding smile Neji's way as the thrill of the coming run filled her. "Yes. Let's go."


	12. Mission End and Just Rewards

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. The only thing I own is the plot and my computer.

A/N: I've noticed I've gotten several questions about Sakura's acquisition of Itachi's memories, so I decided to explain. When she was trapped in the Tsukiyomi and shattered it, she gained all of Itachi's memories that had a violent association. However, she didn't assimilate these memories instead repressing them into her subconscious, which means she can't consciously access them. However, due to the unique nature of her mind, she created a figure in her subconscious born of her own fears-Orochimaru. He has complete access to all her memories, including Itachi's, as well as those she might have forgotten. However, he is still Orochimaru, even if Sakura created him, and as such he isn't going to be just freely doling out information. So while Orochimaru might know about the massacre and the reasons behind it, he hasn't seen fit to share those memories with his counterpart. That said, thank you for all your encouraging reviews.

-Five Kingdoms for the Dead-

--Chapter Eleven--

Mission's End and Just Rewards

Sakura nearly bit through her lip in frustration as she crouched in the dense foliage, marking the passage of time by her own breath and the steady drip of water onto her already damp form from the bushes that offered scant protection from the rain. Her dark green and black ninja clothes blended seamlessly into her surroundings, just as she seemed to melt into the shadows.

She couldn't see or sense Neji anywhere, but it seemed neither could the group of ninja who were restlessly pacing the clearing in front of her, waiting for the two scouts they had sent out to return. There were about nine of them in total, none of them more than a chunnin by the level of skill they had displayed in their pursuit jutsus. The symbols on their forehead protectors revealed their allegiance to the Hidden Village of Earth, but that offered little clue as to what exactly was contained in the scroll they seemed so desperate to obtain.

Obviously, whoever their opponent was, he was better funded than their employer. A small smirk tugged at the edges of her lips. Or the Hokage had greater faith in the ability of Neji and Sakura as a two-man team than whoever requested the services of so many ninja.

_Where are you Neji?_ Sakura asked, not really expecting an answer.

_Not confident enough to take them on your own, Sakura-chan?_ The cheerfully sadistic voice seemed unnecessarily loud in the silence.

Sakura barely restrained the sigh that threatened to escape. Her situation was precarious enough as it was. Orochimaru had been silent since she had left the Leaf Village two days ago, while the temporary teammate's travel was swift. Trouble had started the moment they had crossed the border into Earth. The pursuit that left her in her current position had started at the border and had continued until she and Neji had agreed it would be better to take care of them before they led them to their client. Sakura doubted he would find the arrival of so many ninja on his property a pleasant occurrence.

Sakura had, of course, tried to puzzle out what exactly could be contained in the scroll that would be important enough to warrant pursuit, but she knew enough to keep her curiosity and her hands to herself.

_After all, not all secrets are pleasant, ne, Sakura-chan?_

_I hoped you were gone._

_That's cruel, Sakura-chan, but I suppose I should expect it of you._ Orochimaru's voice was filled with the gentle, poisonous mockery only he seemed to be capable of delivering.

Sakura clenched her fingers, digging deep furrows in the damp earth. She didn't need a remainder of the last time she had encountered Orochimaru in the darkness of her mind. And lurking there, now an even greater power lurked. Sakura had no idea what Amanozako was capable of, or why or how she had fallen into her hands, and she didn't think it would be wise to inquire.

A single, subtle flare of chakra brought her out of her silent conversation with herself. It was the only warning he gave her, before a rain of kunai from several directions caused the group in front of her to scatter. With a single easy movement, she propelled herself forward, not even bothered to stand. Her momentum allowed her to come close enough to one of the fleeing ninja to brace herself on her hands and execute a spinning kick that was filled with all the destructive nature the Shifting Sands style had to offer her. The heel of one of her feet caught lightly on his torso as he dodged her. He had very impressive reflexes, she admitted, but it wouldn't be enough to save him. Even as she reversed her direction and launched herself upwards in preparation for her next move, his torso exploded in a bloody, stinking rain.

It was the first time she had actively shed blood since the chunnin exams and Gaara. Then, fear and adrenaline had provided her with energy, but now there was an active darker presence that raised its head, like a sleepy beast beginning to wake. It was obvious to her within seconds that with an ally here and no idea what would happen if that beast decided to open its eyes, her favorite style was totally out of the question. So, with that in mind, her form shifted, her movements becoming less flexible and more rigid. Closed Fist would attract too much attention to them, and Silent Kill was more suited to stealthy ambushes. That left her to rely on her weaker Crane Dance skills and more regular ninja skills.

Ducking under a kunai that had been used in a reckless slash that had left her opponents core open to attack, she paralyzed his right shoulder with several savage stabs in nerve centers, then followed up with a regular kunai as he stumbled backwards. She used his sagging body to catch several shuriken from a rather panicked looking ninja with such regular, bland features that she thought he could have been mass-produced. She was faster than he was and her own storm of shuriken met their marks, hitting his flesh with solid thunks that drove him until his came into contact with a tree. He would probably survive, unless he did something very foolish. She left him there to bleed as she went in pursuit of the last of the ninja that had remained in the clearing.

Sakura had to forcibly control her breath, which had quickened in a very ugly excitement. It felt somehow detached from her emotions, but the sheer perverse pleasure from it was seeping into her own psyche. The situation was becoming rather dangerous, with these unforeseen reactions. She had thought Amanozako's silence would mean a complete withdrawal, but that appeared not to be the case and she had no time to tighten the chains that bound the foreign presence within.

Using her chakra enhanced speed, she easily drew ahead of her opponent whose eyes were opened wide. Bracing herself on the footing that grew less secure as the slight drizzle turned into a downpour she make her first strike as the first bolt of lightning crashed through the sky. It was no contest, the clean, bloodless strikes paralyzing her opponent as easily as the blows could turn fatal if applied to the right points. When she had finished her opponent lay face down on the ground, whimpering from what was surely the excruciating pain of damaged nerve ends and unable to do much else other than breathe.

Neji alighted next to her, leaping from one of the trees that were scarcer her than they had been in their home country. There was a bit of an odd look in his opaque eyes, but there was no condemnation. Which was good. For everything else they had done, Naruto and Sasuke hadn't made their first kill yet. Sakura hadn't realized the difference it had made until she had made her own, what seemed like an eternity ago when the real Orochimaru had launched his attack on Konoha. She hadn't had time to think of it then, but there had been time later to think over her actions. Unfortunately for her, she hadn't had long to process that first action until she had been submerged in a world of blood of her own creation.

He didn't speak about it until they were on their way again, forced to move on the ground more often than trees, but managing. "Your fighting style is unfamiliar to me. I was not aware your family had a fighting style."

"They don't. Gai-sensei taught me." When Neji made a noise in the back of his throat that indicated his interest, she clarified, "While Kakashi-sensei was busy with Sasuke and Naruto was off training, I didn't really have anything to do. I made the mistake of slacking on my training in front of Gai-sensei and he decided that I was wasting 'the flame of my youth'." They shared a chuckle at that and she quickly finished, "And that's about it. He taught me five styles of taijutsu, each one from a different Hidden Village. You saw two of them back there."

"Yes, I noticed how…effective...that first style was."

"Yeah." Sakura stared at her boot clad feet, barely leaving any trace of her passage.

Her companion was apparently a little more emotionally aware than her usual teammates were, for when he sensed the distress he'd caused her, he drew a little nearer. He said no words, but the faint heat she could sense from his body was comfort enough. _Besides, _Sakura thought wryly, _I'll start to worry if he actually apologizes._

_Neji-kun is useful, is he not? _For a moment she had a brief, overwhelming moment where she hung suspended in a memory of Neji standing over Kabuto's defeated form, awash in a sea of blood. She was forced to bite her lip to break what was almost a genjutsu. Dark laughter met her effort. _Now, now, Sakura-chan, take the opportunity to learn how to use him. How much more fun would the game be with him as a pawn?_

It was odd to feel betrayed by a dark presence in your own mind. But Sakura had made the mistake of beginning to regard him as a cruel ally, one that provided information she herself didn't know. There were times when she became accustomed to the cheerful sadism, which left her vulnerable to these moments. But Sakura had never really learned to guard her emotions, especially in her own mind. It almost made her tremble, the thought of never even being safe in her own mind. But she caught hold of herself.

_No. I left the game. I won't play again._ Sakura fairly snarled at the shadow she couldn't see, but she could still hear his faint laughter. She was free to converse with her thoughts, because after his initial silent apology he had fallen into his silent, efficient habits.

_Tsk, tsk, Sakura-chan. I thought you knew. _His presence seemed to thicken and draw nearer, until she could almost feel his presence running beside her, his pale lips near the shell of her ear. _Once you begin, the game never ends._ He drew even nearer for the next statement, until she was nearly shrouded in his aura. She could feel the rasp of those cold lips against the delicate skin of her ear, the moist presence of his unnatural tongue as he traced the contours of her ear. As he drew back, he whispered,_ All you can do if decide what pieces you'll sacrifice to win._

Sakura did the only thing she could do. Rather than the mile-eating steady pace she had been keeping with Neji, she began to run, as if she could escape something that existed only within her head. When her normal speed only succeeded in turning her surroundings into a dark blur of grey sky and the crash of thunder, she began to push chakra through her muscles so forcefully she could feel the delicate fibers begin to fray. Tears began to mix with the rain, all the tears she hadn't cried since this began. She cried because the man who had meant so much too so many was dead. She cried because she had turned a part of her own mind against herself, trapping herself with an evil presence who she hated so much in real life she wanted to scream. She cried because she had made a deal with a terrifying demon, one she didn't know what it was capable of. Tears of self-pity may have streamed down her face, but she never made a sound.

She wasn't allowed to continue her pity-fest for long, because Neji called out, "Sakura!" in a voice that was less than amused. Taking a deep, shaky breath, Sakura pulled back together the shattered shell of her composure. It was the first time she had allowed herself to break down, but she couldn't afford to do it again. It left her vulnerable, narrowing her vision and dulling her senses.

_And no one likes a crybaby, Sakura-chan._

Ignoring the voice in her head that refused to go away, she slowed her pace until Neji was running at the same speed.

"Sakura, don't do foolish things." He didn't say anything other than that, respecting her emotional privacy, or perhaps not caring as long as it didn't interfere with their mission. They continued on for a little while, Sakura beginning to feel the price of using chakra of that intensity. Neji began to fall a few steps behind, which confused her until she sent an inquiring glance and saw him analyzing her intently with his Byakugan activated. "You did some minor damage to your muscles with your little tantrum. Will you be fine for a few more hours? We're approaching our drop-off point."

Sakura warily tested her muscles without slowing. "I'll be fine." It was left unspoken that was as long as she didn't aggravate the damage she had already done by channeling chakra again. Sakura was still processing the fact that now she could do damage to her body without ever opening any of the Gates, something her training hadn't progressed to. She had noticed the difference in the ease her chakra could be manipulated after Amanozako, but she hadn't stretched her abilities to notice the subtle changes in the chakra itself. It was yet another frustration she would have to keep in mind.

As the storm finally broke just before dawn, Neji and Sakura caught sight of their destination, a bright, clean resort town that looked rather inviting to the two tired ninja who had covered as much distance in three days as would be expected of jounin rather than the genin they were. Dawn was just breaking, faint lines of pink coloring the horizon as they finally met their employer.

It was a traditional bath house, clean and inviting, where they were met by a cheerful attendant who did them the favor of ignoring their rain soaked and slightly muddy appearance. When he heard they had arrived, Kioshi Takumi met them promptly himself. He was an older man, perhaps in his fifties or sixties, who invited confidences, with plain, nonthreatening features and cheerful blue eyes.

Neji pulled the scroll box from his pack and presented it to him while Sakura kept her seat, grateful for the dry warmth of the room.

"Ah," Kioshi said, a wide smile making his even features light up, "I had not expected the scroll to be delivered so promptly. I take it from your appearance you met some ninja on the road?"

"Yes, Takumi-san, but we were able to escape unscathed." Sakura said politely.

"Mm." His voice was mellow, and it was warm with approval as he continued his slow perusal of the scroll case, but didn't open it. "I am relieved. I hadn't realized that ninja of such skill would be sent. If you don't mind me asking, how old are you?"

"Twelve, Takumi-san." Neji answered, as Sakura followed with her answer of "Eleven."

Kioshi looked moderately impressed. "You see, I knew for a fact that you would run into ninja. I suspected that there would be a group of some size, and yet you two were able to not only escape their pursuit, but to do so without any injuries on your part. And I knew also, my competitor being who he is, every ninja he hired would be chunnin level or higher. You must excuse me. I know I must sound a bit strange, but when I saw you both so young, I wondered. I myself was once a chunnin of the Hidden Village here in Earth, but I didn't manage to attain that rank until I quite a bit older than you are now."

"We're still gennin, Takumi-san." The revelation apparently surprised the older man for a moment, and then he laughed.

"Well, I can see the standards must be a bit different in your Village than it is here. Given that fact, I am even more surprised at how quickly and well you managed this mission. As thanks, I invite you to enjoy breakfast and lunch with us here, as well a bath and some rest. I imagine you're quite tired. I can also have your clothes cleaned as well." Neji and Sakura's thanks were grateful and immediate. They might have some skills that could equal some of their jounin-level brethren, but they weren't jounin.

They were first led to separate rooms by more cheerful attendants, where they actually bathed the mud and blood they had acquired from their travels away. A young bath attendant not much older than Sakura herself expressed her surprise at her pink hair as she helped scrub out the blood and dust. The young girl, Mai as she introduced herself, after allowing her to clothe herself in a bathrobe led her to an open dining area where everyone at the bath ate. After making sure she was settled and happily enjoying a breakfast of tea and fresh fruit, left her alone to take care of her soiled clothes.

After a few refreshing minutes, in which Sakura amused herself by watching the slow stream of people drifting in and out of the dining area, Neji joined her. Sakura laughed when two young boys a little older than her, apparently here with their families, looked rather put off by the new addition to her table. Neji himself smiled, but didn't laugh.

"Ah, it's nice to relax after a mission." Sakura said, running a hand through her still damp hair, pushing back the bangs that still continually fell in front of her eyes even now that her hair had begun to grow out again.

"We're not back in Konoha yet, but you're right. I'm looking forward to bathing for a while, then taking a nap until lunch. After that, we'll head back. We can pick up some supplies then." Sakura smiled, taking one more bite of the crisp fruit that had been provided, then stretched, the soreness in her muscles lessoned after her bath, but not completely gone.

"Well," she said," I'm off to find the women's baths. I'll see you later." As Neji nodded and Sakura left the room, he found himself under the intense scrutiny of the two boys who had been eying Sakura as he came in. Neji sighed.

Sakura herself spent an hour and a half in blissful repose in the hot spring, enjoying the soothing warmth that seemed to stop the burn of her torn muscles. When she finally managed to separate herself from the water, she stopped in the doorway, considering how best to go about finding the room she had been offered.

"Ah, Haruno-san, I was looking for you." The young attendant from earlier appeared at Sakura's elbow. "I was instructed to show you to your room once you had enjoyed the springs." Sakura was shown to a moderately spacious room that contained two futons and both her and Neji's packs. Sakura smiled as she realized Takumi had realized they might find it easier to plan their return if they shared a room. It also minimized the inconvenience to him.

"I hope you and Hyuuga-san have a pleasant stay." Mai said as she bowed out of the room. Sakura eyed the beds, then happily flopped into the one furthest from the door. Ninja dignity disappeared as she snuggled into the clean sheets and allowed herself to fall into a light doze, only her ninja senses to keep herself safe.

She awakened only briefly when Neji entered the room, falling asleep again before he even lay down. Her sleep was blissfully blank, with no disturbing dreams, only the quiet peace the darkness of sleep offered. They were both awakened by a respectful tapping at the sliding door that separated the room from the hall. Sakura groaned briefly into her pillow, not wanting to leave its soft comfort. Neji rose with less reluctance, but this time she was forced to stifle a giggle into her pillow.

Neji gave her a curious look, and Sakura explained, "Sorry, but, you look funny with your hair loose."

"You've seen it loose before." He commented as he smoothed the wrinkles his robe had acquired during sleep.

"Yeah, but…" it was difficult to explain the difference. The first time it had been smooth and well brushed and had looked much different from his regular hairstyle. "…you've got bed head." She was forced to smother another fit of giggles, probably the combination going too long without proper sleep, their earlier battle, and the infamous Neji Hyuuga looking tousled in a bathrobe.

Neji sighed and ran a hand through his hair, which from the combination of the earlier baths and sleep, was indeed looking rather messy, but he apparently didn't derive the same amount of amusement from it that Sakura did. His running a hand through his hair didn't help, only mussing it further. Sakura's eyes suddenly widened and Neji watched in bemusement as she leaped for her pack. He understood a moment later as she snapped two quick photos, but he was too late to do anything as she sent him a mischievous smile.

Lunch was eaten and their clothes returned, much cleaner than they had been that morning. They finally appeared before Kioshi before they set out to say their goodbyes and give their thanks. He accepted their thanks with graciousness, but he added with a smile, "It was no trouble. Within that scroll you brought is the location of a rare mineral, which when added to hot springs such as the ones we have here give the water near-miraculous healing properties. You see, that is why you attacked on the road. My largest competitor was also looking to acquire that scroll, because finding the mineral nearly guarantees the success of our resorts."

When they were leaving the town after purchasing supplies, Sakura shook her head, her long pink ponytail following the movement. "That's pretty cool, don't you think?"

"Yes. I imagine that one day that town will be famous for its healing waters if the mineral works as Takumi-san claims." Neji commented, adjusting his pack to be more comfortable for running.

"And we stayed there." Sakura's smile was infectious, or so she inferred by the small upturn in Neji's lips.

"Well," he said, "do you think we can surprise Takumi-san again and beat our record in returning home?" Sakura's answer was a smirk full of challenge. The two gennin disappeared from the town of Surotaiga so quickly no civilian would have been able to see them move.

A/N: I don't know if there will be a full blown Neji/Sakura pairing so don't read too much into this, but I really enjoy writing it. This is also one of Sakura's first experiences with a teammate who views her as an equal and she's enjoying that. That said, next chapter Sakura and Neji return to Konoha and reunite with their teams.


	13. A Triumphant Return?

Disclaimer: If I haven't owned Naruto throughout this entire story, what in the world makes you think I acquired it for this chapter?

A/N: When I first posted the last chapter, I received a rather frantic review about this story suddenly sliding into a Neji/Sakura romance. It hasn't and even if it ends up doing so, it won't happen for many, many chapters to come. They're what, eleven, twelve? It's simply easier for Sakura to interact with a person who has fewer preconceptions about her and her skills. Naruto and Sasuke are Sakura's precious people, so she doesn't want to disturb their fragile balance, where with Neji she can go all out. That's all. I warned you not to read too much into it. Anyway, thanks to all who review.

-Five Kingdoms for the Dead-

--Chapter Thirteen--

A Triumphant Return?

Sakura was testing the limits of just how far she could push herself before her muscles began to degenerate. With every push against the trees, her momentum increased, until she would have resembled a pinball being bounced around if anyone was watching. A fine bead of sweat rolled down her face, caressing her cheek before leaving her to drop into the empty air.

"Getting tired, Sakura-chan?" Her name was mockingly stressed as her opponent appeared beneath her.

"Not at all, Neji-kun." The same emphasis was placed on his name, as her temporary partner smirked and increased his speed, but it was apparent that they were both about at their maximum level. "But if you want to give up, I'll take your surrender gracefully."

"Hm. Well, if you can keep up for another seven minutes or so, we'll have beaten our previous record by nearly a half a day." Neji remarked, refocusing his attention on their destination, the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

With a sneer and another burst of speed, Sakura gave her answer.

Gai and Kakashi had both returned already, their three day mission giving them plenty of time to return before their students, who probably wouldn't return for another two or three days. They had all been given tasks of approximately the same difficulty, with a weeklong projected duration if they didn't run into any unforeseen obstacles. Kakashi only hoped whoever was unfortunate enough to have both Lee and Naruto taking them managed to survive the experience with their sanity intact.

They were both standing idly above the gates speculating idly about which of their teams would return first- Gai was in favor of his favorite pupil returning first, as well as the kindred spirit of Naruto, and Kakashi betting on Sasuke and Tenten's ruthless efficiency to see them through first.

Kakashi's single visible eye narrowed as he caught sight of blurs approaching Konoha. Only ninja could travel that quickly through the trees like that. He was only mildly curious about who exactly it was approaching the village until the blurs finally grew close enough to resolve themselves into shapes. "Is that Sakura and Neji?" he asked rather incredulously.

"Indeed it is, my youthful rival. Shall we greet them?" Gai asked.

Kakashi ignored Gai and asked instead, "What are they doing?"

Gai muttered under his breath about the 'coolness' of his rival, but he couldn't provide an answer until the two young ninja reached the gates, Neji just ahead of Sakura. Neji proceeded to tap the great wooden gates that stood open to welcome others into the Hidden Village, and announced monotonously, "I win."

"You two were racing?" Gai shouted, loud enough that the gennin peered up at their mentors.

Neji only looked up at them impassively, but Sakura gave a cheerful wave and called out, "Hey, Kakashi-sensei!"

Both jounin landed easily on the ground in front of their students, who besides looking a little out of breath, otherwise looked in good condition. "Back so soon?" Kakashi asked.

"We have completed the mission we were assigned." Neji said complacently.

"We probably should go report to the Hokage." Sakura added.

Kakashi and Gai blinked. "Well, we'll come with you. This is a challenge after all." Gai replied. Anticipating his next predictable move, Neji and Sakura were able to close their eyes and avoid the blinding gleam of his smile.

A short while later saw them standing in the office of the new Hokage, Neji and Sakura standing in front of her desk , while Gai and Kakashi reclined near the door.

"Well," Tsunade said, setting aside her pen and propping her head on her hands, "you're the first team to return."

The observing jounin thought they saw the Hyuuga and the Haruno exchange a triumphant glance, but otherwise their facial expressions didn't shift; Neji's was impassive and Sakura's cheerful.

"I noticed that when you turned in the payment, there was a bonus included for the swift delivery. Well done. You'll have to fill out the formal mission reports of course, but I'm sure you can handle that. Did you run into any trouble?" Her hazel eyes were politely curious, a Hokage still trying to familiarize herself with the skills of her next generation.

"We encountered a group of Earth ninja after we crossed the border into Earth country that had been hired to attempt to take the scroll. There were nine of them, most likely all chunnin or gennin." Neji answered evenly.

"You were forced to engage?" Tsunade asked with some concern. Two genin against nine others weren't particularly good odds, but the two gennin in front of her were unharmed.

"Yes. We managed to get them to split up, after which I managed to kill one and leave four others unconscious with their chakra pathways blocked. Sakura took the other four, leaving two of them dead and the other two badly wounded." Tsunade sent a swift, assessing glance at the slim young girl who shifted uneasily under the Hokage's and Kakashi's combined scrutiny.

"It would have been better if you had managed to leave them without killing any of them, or better yet, remain undetected. However, I doubt that we'll see any trouble because of it, so well done. And I must say, I am impressed with the speed with which you handled your mission."

"You should have seen them racing for the gates." Gai commented.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow in inquiry and Sakura explained, with a light blush on her cheeks, "We were trying to beat our own time back."

"Well, you've done well. You're dismissed." With that the four left the Hokage's office, pausing once they reached the stairs that wound around the outside of the tower.

They stood for a moment there, Sakura and Neji waiting while Kakashi and Gai talked quietly about something. Sakura awkwardly scuffed the toe of her tall back boot against the ground, her hands grasped behind her, bangs shading her eyes. _You're hardly asking him on a date Sakura, _she admonished herself.

Normally Inner Sakura would have responded with something like, 'But he's Neji Hyuuga!", but Inner Sakura had been gone for a long time. Instead, Orochimaru laughed delightedly. _Sparring with him would be a novel experience. Those with a doujutsu are usually entertaining. Besides, at this rate he might make a knight or even a bishop. Far more useful than a pawn. And so much more valuable._

_If you don't quit comparing my friends to pieces in a game, I'm going to do something about it._

The laughter increased until there was that uncomfortable presence standing behind her again, leaning just over her shoulder to whisper in her ear. _And what will you do, Sakura-chan? How will you fight against yourself?_ She had no answer for that_ By the way, Sakura-chan, if you don't quit talking to yourself, this will have been a pointless conversation._

"Hey, Neji, would you mind sparring with me sometime?" Sakura murmured just loud enough for Neji to hear.

He glanced over at her and for moment Sakura thought he would laugh or maybe refuse like Sasuke would, but he simply said, "Not at all. Tomorrow then?"

"Yeah."

"What are you two plotting over there?" Kakashi's voice broke their conversation before it could advance further.

"Nothing, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura returned cheerfully, flipping her bangs out of her eyes.

Gai rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Well, we didn't expect you back so soon, so we didn't have much planned. We can probably find you some D-ranks until everyone gets back, so consider this team temporarily extended."

"You're free for the rest of the day, but we'll meet tomorrow at the usual time." Kakashi said, before disappearing in a cloud of smoke. Gai saluted them and followed his lead. As soon as the jounin disappeared, Sakura sank down with a sigh, not even caring that she was slumped on the stairs outside the Hokage tower.

Neji laughed gently at her, and she mumbled back, "You're every bit as tired as me. I'm just glad I don't have to go out for victory ramen. I can go home, take a hot shower and attempt to not move for the rest of the day." Her head tilted back, allowing her an excellent view of the wide blue skis of Konoha.

"Well, come on then." Neji said from beside her.

"Come on where?" Sakura murmured grouchily. Now that she had stopped moving, exhaustion was moving in quickly. No matter how much she had improved in the last few months, it couldn't stand against Neji's years of training. No matter how efficiently she could use her chakra, she still needed more of it to keep at Neji's pace than Neji did to maintain that pace. But if she went to bed now, she was fairly sure she would be in fine shape for tomorrow.

"Victory ramen, right?" Her incredulous look at him plainly stated, 'You can't be serious.' "Come on Haruno, you aren't that tired are you?"

Sakura debated the merits of arguing, but all the energy seemed to have drained from her body.

"It's just a mild case of chakra exhaustion. You've been using your chakra to augment normal muscle function for an extended period of time, so it's normal for a sudden onset of fatigue once you stop. You'll be fine in about half an hour." Neji explained as Sakura sluggishly rose. "You've never experienced it?"

"No."

The trip to the ramen stand was slow, but Neji walked to accommodate her pace. From his comments, it was obvious this was this kind of thing you could build a tolerance too, but she'd never had to. This sort of thing left a bitter taste in her mouth, showing her how far she had to go before she could really be considered a decent ninja. But the beef ramen she ordered helped to sooth that bitterness, at least for a little while, and the company wasn't terrible either. Sure, they didn't actually talk much, but sometimes silent company was better than a noisy company like Team Seven had been with its eternal tensions. One trust exercise successfully completed wasn't going to change that.

"So, what's it like doing all your training under Gai-sensei?" Sakura asked curiously. The time passed pleasantly as Neji talked of the quirks and frustrations of working with a man like Gai. Finally Sakura made her way home and tumbled with relief into the familiar comfort of her bed.

Sakura shifted restlessly in her bed, the aftereffects of another bad dream. They had occurred on a regular basis since her encounter with Itachi Uchiha and her subsequent deal with Amanozako. As always, the dream's substance was murky and never lingered long after she had awoken. However, no matter the content of her dreams, she always awoke feeling as rested as she would have after spending the night frolicking in a field of mental butterflies. But it was easier to emerge from the realms of sleep to face the dim pre-dawn light and make her usual morning run. She had added to her weights just before they had left for their missions, but it didn't slow her down much.

An accelerated adaption to the weights was yet another difference she had to deal with, though it was not an unpleasant one. Dawn still hadn't broken by the time she had returned to her home and cleaned up a bit, had a light breakfast, and made her way to training ground three to await the arrival of Neji. Neither was sure what their senseis had planned for them, so they had arranged to meet early for their spar.

The training grounds looked lonely in the light morning fog, as if without the other members of her team she didn't belong here. _Tsk, tsk, Sakura-chan, at it again?_

_Orochimaru, _Sakura acknowledged tiredly.

_You know Sakura-chan, it would be a bit more fun if you just showed them. Sasuke-kun would never call you weak while he was covered his own blood._

_That doesn't sound like Orochimaru at all. I suppose that's proof you really do exist only in my head, _Sakura replied.

_I told you Sakura-chan, I am you. But, since we're alone, I think there is something you need to take care of before we go spilling anyone's blood, especially the Uchiha's. This world shook when you spilled the blood of that Earth ninja. Amanozako isn't properly sealed, just contained and silenced. You should finish what you began._

_I can't enter my mind at will, you know. I was trapped in one of the most powerful genjutsus in existence._

_Oh, but you can Sakura-chan. Come to me._ A burning, rushing sensation moved through Sakura's body, less painful but no less disturbing than the first time she had felt it when facing Itachi. The surrounding landscape grayed for a moment, then lit up in the dark, dancing flames that Sakura had come to associate with her mindscape. A gateway appeared before her, a simple sliding screen, but she could nearly feel the malice that hid behind it. Nevertheless, she reached out a trembling hand, letting it trail over the rough wooden frame and the smooth paper screens. A wave of pulsing energy, like a heartbeat, was conveyed through the contact.

A voice that wasn't Orochimaru's ripped through the silence in her head, causing her to throw her hands over her ears in a vain attempt to stop the sound. _Come to me. _With Amanozako's invitation, the black flames roared over the door, burning a path back into that terrible place with the dead trees and hall of black columns.

A/N: Finally, another encounter with Amanozako is upcoming. For how long will Sakura be able to suppress the demonic presence she has invited to dwell in her soul?


	14. A Meeting of the Mind

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, I wouldn't have to be publishing fanfiction about it. Because, you know, I'd be writing it. Yeah.

A/N: Because I'm about to go on break, you get two chapters from me this week! Don't worry, I'll back soon enough and publish enough chapters to make up for the wait. So review and tell me what you think of this chapter, and thanks to all of you who do. I really enjoy the feedback.

-Five Kingdoms for the Dead-

Chapter Fourteen

-A Meeting of the Minds-

_Heaven opposing everything._ Sakura's sandaled feet crunched on the sea of bones that filled the desolate shore that was now home to the beastly apparition that stood in front of her, her very presence making taking shallow, sulfur filled breaths difficult.

"So foolish child, are you ready to unleash me?" It was difficult to read the expression on the bestial muzzle, but Sakura thought it might be a sneer that displayed so many of the shining teeth. The dark, burning eyes bore right into Sakura's soul, probing for the weaknesses that lurked there.

"No!" Sakura was forced to speak in a shout; for fear that she otherwise wouldn't be able to speak otherwise. Already her ears had begun to bleed from the terrible, grating thunder that barely translated into a human tongue. "I don't want you to interfere!"

A great dark wing came crashing down with enough force to crush what felt like several ribs and sent Sakura sprawling across the ground, ripping her tender skin open on the sharp edges of upturned bones. "Insolent child. If that is what you wish, while you are the master here, I must serve your will. Know, however, if something ever occurs that causes you to doubt yourself, if something inspires you to hate and rage, then I will lend you my power. Then we will see what your answer is." The great wing pulled back and Amanozako watched with leashed cruelty as Sakura shakily pulled herself to her feet.

"No, you listen. I will never, ever want power that is gained that way." Sakura ground out, ignoring the blood that beat a steady tattoo as it dripped from her skin.

"Not even to protect your 'precious people'?" The great muzzle neared Sakura's own face. Sakura was caught in the cruel eyes, so much so that she couldn't even flinch as the blood encrusted claws brushed gently over the skin of her throat. "When the time comes, you will use my power. You will destroy." The terrible face brought itself closer until the skin of their cheeks rested against one another, until Sakura could smell the coppery scent of old blood wafting from the stained kimono the creature clothed itself in.

Amanozako's next words were spoken directly to her, in a whisper that crawled across her flesh like a breeze foretelling the coming hurricane. "Do you think I am a fool, child? Your rage is written so cleanly upon every memory. I have seen that game you played with the white serpent who first brought you to me. This place, this kingdom, all are built as a citadel for the darkness of your own heart. I will wait. My day will come." As Amanozako withdrew her claws left shallow gashes across Sakura's throat. "One day someone will betray you, hurt you, and then I will lend you my power."

Sakura could barely speak, but even though her voice was rough, she was sure Amanozako could understand the words she forced from her bleeding lips. "You keep telling me you'll lend me your power. Why don't you simply demand that I free you?"

A laugh that was comparable to funeral bells tolling met the question. "Do you think that I would willingly allow myself to be contained in one such as you or allow myself to be captured in a scroll box by an equally foolish man if there was another way? I cannot exist outside a container. My power threatened too much, so there were conditions put on my existence because I could not be destroyed. I will be with you until you die, little fool."

The barren surrounding seemed to withdraw along with the demon, until Sakura found herself shakily standing in the long hall that led to the courtyard that housed one of her terrible memories.

"So, Sakura-chan, are we going to play?" Orochimaru's voice was wistful as he walked from the darkness behind her, his pale form emerging like a specter in a nightmare. However, after her interview with Amanozako, even Orochimaru was a better companion.

"No." Sakura couldn't help the single glistening tear that trailed its way down her cheek. "No." A silent moment, and then, "Orchimaru?"

"Yes, Sakura-chan?"

"Are there any beautiful places here? Or is it…." Sakura looked out the terrible world that she had once created, in a terribly foolish mistake that would haunt her for the rest of her life.

"I have no interest in those places Sakura-chan. They bore me." There was a childish quality to Orochimaru's declaration, but Sakura tried to hold onto his words.

"So they do exist?" Sakura asked.

Orochimaru simply shrugged and turned away, beginning to walk down the hall to the courtyard. He turned his head back just enough for her to make out one glistening golden eye, "You should go back now. Your new piece is approaching. Perhaps you should study how he best can be used, so next time we play the game will be more amusing."

The burning pain she was coming to associate with the transition into her mind washed over her and when she managed to force her eyes back open, she was perched on top of the center post in training ground three, looking out over a peaceful vista in a body that lacked the debilitating wounds Amanozako had inflicted. She tried to comfort herself with the agreement that Amanozako had allowed, but she couldn't help but fear as well. _No one will betray me. Sasuke, Naruto, and everyone would never do something like that._

_Tsk, tsk, are you really that foolish still, Sakura-chan? The pieces are moving. Do you think Sasuke-kun would choose you over revenge? _In her mind's eye Sakura could almost see him in that courtyard bathed in red light, his long fingers trailing over the pieces on a newly set-up board.

_He wouldn't choose me, but he will choose his friends. He can find power here. Stop playing with the pieces that are on my side._

_Ah, Sakura-chan, such conviction. But you really must ask yourself, is Sasuke-kun on your side? Or is he playing a game all his own?_

"Sakura?" The voice broke her out of the disturbing conversation, bringing her attention back to the present, where Neji was waiting patiently for her to acknowledge him. "Are you ready?" he asked courteously.

"Yeah." Sakura leapt lightly down onto the chill grass, thankful for this chance to beat away some of the adrenaline rushing through her veins from her various encounters this morning. She immediately assumed the low stance of Shifting Sands as Neji fell into his own attack stance.

She immediately noticed differences sparring with Neji and her usual teammates. She hadn't actually had much of a chance to spar with her own teammates since her training with Gai-sensei had ended, but she knew neither Naruto nor Sasuke had his speed. With her weights on, she had to work to meet it as well, but Neji wasn't called a prodigy for nothing. His eyes picked out her every weakness, leapt at every opening she inadvertently provided. He also was a subtle fighter, which neither Sasuke nor Naruto was. Naruto was powerful, but his range was limited. Sasuke was less limited, but he didn't have the patience for a long battle, and he had no desire to play games with his enemy. Neji, on the other hand, knew when to wait and when to strike.

Sakura imagined it would be a pretty battle to watch, with the grace and speed of the Gentle Fist style on Neji's side and the sinuous power of the Shifting Sands style on hers. Of course, she had to limit the power she put behind each of her blows, but Neji's wasn't being as ruthless as he could have been either. That was her thought as she ducked beneath one of his blows and attempted to strike at his core. He evaded her strike, leaping away and tossing a few shuriken at her to force her to keep her distance.

She countered with her own barrage of shuriken and brought them again to a stalemate. Their styles were well matched. Sakura allowed herself a smirk, and then brought her bandaged fist crashing into the ground. Neji's pearl-hued eyes widened as the earth of the area was reduced to rubble. But Sakura lost the match when she miscalculated how long it would take for him to recover his footing, dashing forward in a risky move. Instead of the unbalanced opponent she expected, he appeared to have ridden the earth like a surfer might a wave, and swiftly closed enough of her chakra points for the match to be over and leave her in a great deal of discomfort.

When she grimaced and examined the swiftly bruising points that she could see, he gave her a sly smile and explained, "I asked Gai-sensei what exactly he taught you while you were studying under him. He mentioned that move you used just now, so when I saw your chakra building in your fists just now, I guessed what you might be about to do."

Sakura sighed in defeat. It was less fun when they weren't surprised. "Now hold still." Neji commanded, as he opened her chakra points again with deft stabs in quick succession. Her sigh turned to one of relief as she felt full use of her chakra return. "I have a question though, that Gai-sensei was unwilling to answer. When we were on our last mission, I noticed that you have some anomalies in your chakra system near your eyes, almost like what one would expect from a doujutsu." He waited curiously for her answer.

Sakura flushed, remembering the incident with the Mangekyo Sharingan and the pain she had caused herself. _That's still there? I thought Amanozako said she would heal the damage._ "Ah, it's nothing." She managed not to stutter during her denial, but she couldn't quite force herself to make contact with Neji's eyes, which always seemed to see so much. "Just an old injury."

"It must have been very bad in order to create such a disturbance in your chakra system. If what you say is true, then it's a miracle you aren't blind." Neji said thoughtfully.

She forced herself to smile and reply. "You might call it the devil's own luck."

"Well, well, isn't this convenient. Now I don't have to go through all the trouble of finding you two." Kakashi's voice came as a welcome interruption to Sakura, even though Neji looked like he hadn't quite satisfied his curiosity. "Even though I only caught the end that was a very interesting fight just now." The famed copy-nin emerged fully from the bushes where he had concealed himself, his orange book in hand. "Sakura, when were you planning on telling me you had trained with Gai?"

Sakura blushed again. "I'm sorry Kakashi-sensei."

His single dark eye met her embarrassed emerald ones before it crinkled in a smile. "Don't worry about it. I figured it would be something like that." He closed his book with a snap, bringing both gennin to attention. "Gai has already left on a mission. If all goes well, he'll be back within the projected arrival date for the arrival of the other teams. I have a mission too, so you two are to consider your partnership extended and report to the Hokage immediately for a new mission."

"Hai, Kakashi-sensei." Both Neji and Sakura chorused.

"See you two later." With handsigns produced at that blurring speed of his Kakashi disappeared, leaving the two gennin in the messy training grounds.

"Let's go." Neji said, taking off in the direction of the Hokage's tower.

"Right." Sakura followed him swiftly, her thoughts occupied with the new mission, drowning out her worries from earlier that morning.

The next two days were a series of D-rank missions that seemed specially designed to see how quickly the duo could complete them. It wasn't as bad for Sakura, who was still accustomed to D-rank missions as standard, but Neji had gotten used to C-ranks, and Sakura caught him muttering that this sort of work was only for gennins fresh from the academy, but that was only once, when they were chasing that same cat that they had both chased on former missions. Sakura fell gratefully into bed each night, rising early the next morning to do her run, then meeting up with Neji for some early morning practice before meeting with the Hokage for their first assignment of the day.

The evening of the second day brought the first break in their semi-routine, in which Tsunade utilized their services to act as couriers. The mission took them outside the village overnight, despite the fact that their teammates were supposed to return the next day. However, both were professional enough not to complain and took the sealed scrolls to their assigned drop-off points. It was still early afternoon as they made their way back both of them eager to get back, though the lack of sleep was catching up to them.

They were walking back as they neared the gates. Neji was sleepy eyed and Sakura kept yawning, both of them tired from pushing themselves for too long with chakra to enhance their speed. Both had no trouble running all night, but when the strain of that was combined with fighting the group of bandits who had attacked them, who luckily were more numerous than skilled, they had pushed themselves near their limit. Yet again they were reminded that despite their impressive skills, they were still gennin.

"I want to go to sleep." Sakura announced dully as Konoha's gates came into view.

"Thought you wanted to see Naruto and Sasuke." Neji said, though his lack of enthusiasm for the prospect of pushing themselves further was obvious.

Sakura mumbled something under her breath before picking up her pace, leaping onto the rooftops and making her way to the Hokage tower, followed closely by Neji. Both managed a semblance of alertness as Neji rapped on the heavy door and was given permission to enter.

The two gennin were met with a boisterous greeting that startled them both. "Hey, Neji, Sakura, you two are last, believe it!" Naruto cackled maniacally at them.

Neji and Sakura blinked at him as the laughter continued. Naruto was doubled over, Lee standing seriously next to him. Sasuke was on the far side of Lee, standing in his habitual pose with his hands in his pockets. Tenten was gazing curiously at them both, obviously wondering how Neji had managed to come in last.

"Naruto." Kakashi chided from his position on the other side of the room, where Gai was also waiting.

"Well," Tsunade said, clapping her hands together as Shizune stood to one side, "Let's go over the results, shall we?"


	15. Team Seven: Reunited but Divided

Disclaimer: I, EvilIsARelativeTerm, do not have the honor of possessing Naruto. I do not profit from writing this, except for some emotional gratification when I get good reviews.

A/N: Because I am lazy and don't like the considerable repetition that would be involved, I have not written out the entire mission in the Land of Tea. If you wish for more detail, watch or read the actual episode and make the appropriate adjustments. Feedback is appreciated.

-Five Kingdoms for the Dead-

Chapter Fifteen

-Team Seven: Reunited but Divided-

Neji and Sakura took their places next to their teammates as Naruto brought his mirth under control. Tsunade flipped through some papers before her, apparently the reports on their performance. "Sasuke, Tenten, your employer was quite pleased with both your professionalism and your performance. Naruto, while I was rather worried about your team, you not only accomplished your mission; you did so with no significant damage to anyone's property or person." Naruto had the grace to look sheepish, while Sasuke and Tenten were smug, their satisfaction increasing as Tsunade continued, "Sasuke, your team returned before Naruto's." Sasuke threw a slightly gloating look at Naruto, who was glowering in his direction. Their older teammates were handling the situation no better, Tenten sporting a wide smile while Lee had drooped in comic dejection.

"However," a sly smile graced Tsunade's face as she dropped her head to lean on her hands, "Sakura and Neji beat both teams back." There was general shock from the four other genin, but Neji and Sakura were a little too tired to gloat properly.

"Huh? But they weren't even here, Grandma Tsunade!" Naruto exploded, his cerulean eyes wide, and bringing his fist down with a crashing impact on the Hokage's desk. Tsunade didn't even flinch. The looks of the other three also demanded an explanation, especially the disbelieving glare Sasuke threw in. Tenten and Lee had a little more confidence in Neji's skills, but neither could believe they had been straight out defeated.

"Well, they didn't look busy, so I sent them on another mission." Tsunade explained, straitening her mission reports.

"How'd you beat us Neji?" Tenten asked and Sakura silently seethed at being dismissed so easily.

"By the descriptions, I assume you had escort missions. Our escort mission involved scrolls rather than a person, so we could move more quickly than you." Neji made a gracious winner, once he had been pounded into the dust by Naruto.

"That's not fair!" Naruto protested.

"Yes, it is unyouthful to assign different missions and call it a race!" Lee agreed, pumping his fist into the air, as if to validate his statement.

"Which is why I sent them on the second mission. Even with the times combined, they still returned before you." Tsunade's tone allowed no argument, so even Naruto simply contented himself with scowling unhappily. With Naruto's loud protests, no one noticed the way Sasuke's fists curled and the way his fists fairly shook with tension. "All of you are dismissed. Neji, Sakura, I expect your report on my desk by tomorrow."

A group of tired and discontented gennins filed out of the Hokage's office, followed by their senseis. Once they were outside Kakashi congratulated them, "All of you, well done on your first missions without a jounin leader. You all did well."

"Yes, you truly showed the power of youth in completing your missions so well. I am glad none of your teams ran into much trouble. Lee's squad ran into a few bandits, but they were distracted by Naruto's shadow clones. Tenten's team managed to avoid their pursuers entirely, which is what any ninja should aim for." As Gai's gaze turned to them, Sakura and Neji both crossed their arms rather defensively, which brought to attention the blood splattered on the bandages on their arms.

"Again?" Kakashi sighed. "You don't have to take on every enemy you run into."

"They were terrorizing a village." Neji said stiffly.

"They were bandits this time. We scared them off. That's it." Sakura said, shielding herself behind a veil of bangs.

"What do you mean, again?" Sasuke asked, scrutinizing the Hyuuga who had earned a new rivalry with the Sharingan user and his pink haired comrade, who had surprised him yet again, this time in an infuriating way.

"They confronted a group of enemy ninja while they were making their delivery." Kakashi said. "For which they should probably lose points. Unnecessary confrontation is something a ninja should avoid. But I'm sure you won't make the same mistake again. Right?"

Sakura and Neji muttered their assent, both chastised if less than convinced.

"Wow, what did you do to them?" Naruto asked eagerly, already picturing a fight scene in his head.

Sakura looked away; still uncomfortable with the destruction she could deal with her new skills. For all that she was a ninja she had never before used her skills like that before the chunnin exams. Neji saved her an answer as he replied, "Wouldn't you like to know. Perhaps the next time we meet in the exams, you'll allow me to show you."

"Bring it!" Naruto invited.

"Well, my team, let's go. The day is still young, so let us go burn the fires of our youth." Tenten and Lee followed their sensei with varying degrees of enthusiasm, but the look Neji send his teacher could have rivaled any fire jutsu with its intensity.

But as he left he called back, "Same time tomorrow?", loud enough for the members of Team Seven to hear.

"Yeah," Sakura called back, sparing him a tired smile.

Sasuke shot her a sharp glance, his obsidian eyes at once questioning and accusing.

Sakura swallowed nervously, trying to think of an answer for the question she saw in his eyes. Once, she might have convinced herself that he was jealous of her association with the Hyuuga, but the cynical voice that lingered in the back of her mind whispered, _Possiveness. He desires to possess you Sakura-chan, even if he feels you are useless. Such is the way of those who desire power and will go to any lengths to possess it._

_If you're not going to help, Orochimaru, shut up before people think I'm crazy. _Pulling on a cheerful mask, she turned her smile to the Uchiha. "Neji's been helping me with my training while you were gone."

The slight flinch he gave indicated she had unintentionally prodded his ego with a reminder that he hadn't been here because Neji and Sakura had finished first. Sakura cursed herself. The last thing she wanted was to drive her wavering teammate further from her than he already was. Naruto shot her an admiring glance. "Man, I'd hate to train with Neji. But, how'd you guys manage to get back so fast?"

Sakura ran a weary hand through her tousled pink locks, wishing that Kakashi-sensei would do something to save her from this awkward questioning, but he was simply walking ahead of them, reading his book with its distinctive orange cover. "I've done some speed training with Gai-sensei." She admitted.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, while Naruto began to babble on, asking questions she chose to ignore. Sakura could almost see the wheels in Sasuke's mind turning, coming to conclusions and reevaluating her. She wished he wouldn't compare his strength to theirs. She could almost see the imaginary scales he weighed them on, the one that determined if their power threatened his own.

Kakashi stopped walking abruptly, turning to them with a smile on his face, though it was hidden by the dark fabric of his mask. "Well guys, I bet you're tired. So, how about we meet again tomorrow at nine sharp? See you later!" In a cloud of smoke, their less than conscientious sensei made his escape.

Naruto stared sullenly in the direction that Kakashi had disappeared in. "How are we supposed to train when our sensei is always skipping out on us?" Sasuke gave a grunt of agreement, while Sakura had to make a conscious effort not to clench her hands.

_Kakashi, why are you like this? Can you even see what you're doing to this team? Naruto and Sasuke are working together again, but for how long?_

"See you later guys!" she said, giving them a small wave as she turned to leave.

"Huh? Don't you wanna spar with us some, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked curiously.

Before she could explain that she was tired and wanted nothing more to fall into bed, Sasuke began to walk away with his hands in his pockets. Naruto instinctively turned to chase after him, giving her a hasty wave. Sakura was left to stand in the crossroads of an alley they had reached, while a sluggish breeze kicked up dust at her feet. _See Sakura-chan? They don't need you._ Sakura had the feeling that just from the corner of her eye she would be able to catch sight of pale skin and dark hair at her side if she looked. _Poor Sakura-chan, left all alone. With Lee back, Gai has no use for you anymore. Kakashi needs only his little book. And Naruto and Sasuke-kun? You'll only hold them back._

This time Sakura was prepared for the assault. She knew better than to relax just because most of the time Orochimaru was no more than a sadistic commentator. He had been created from memories of the cruelest being she had ever encountered and soldered with the dark fires of her own heart. There was no peace offered in that darkness. Nonetheless, her clenched fingers dug deep into her palm with bruising force. _I'm not alone,_ she cried into that darkness, with all the strength her conviction could give her.

_Ah, but aren't we always alone, Sakura-chan, when it matters? _With that unnerving grace, he brought his presence nearer to her, though his voice existed only in her mind. _Will you die alone as so many others before you?_

_I said I was never alone. There will always be you and Amanozako, Orochimaru. Even when everyone else has gone. But they won't do that. They won't abandon me. I'm their teammate. Naruto will never let me down like that, and neither would Kakashi or Sasuke. _ Sakura's emerald eyes turned inward, even against the brilliant blue of the sky over Konoha.

Orochimaru withdrew, seeming to step backward. _So sure of that, Sakura-chan? But it doesn't matter, you know. How many of us are here, on the inside or the outside. When you play the game, you are alone. Because in this, Amanozako is your queen, and I a bishop on your board. I wonder, how will you use us? Who will you choose to play the other pieces?_

Sakura blinked, coming out of her trance and taking to the rooftops of Konoha. She traveled at a furious pace, almost like she believed she could leave Orochimaru standing on the ground in that deserted alleyway. She didn't stop until she ducked into the window of her own room and began to strip her dirty and stained clothing from her body. The warm water that pounded against her body did nothing to wash away the feeling of dirt, but she knew that was simply another way that the encounters with those who dwelled in her head affected her.

When her hair was dryer and her mind calmer, she was finally able to slip into a sleep that managed to remove her from her troubles, even if it was only into a realm of blood soaked nightmares. She hated them, but after all the time Amanozako had resided inside her, she had become accustomed to them. When she was awake, she sometimes wondered why blood still bothered her when she saw so much of it, but there was a subtle difference. Sakura hoped she would never find out what it was to be completely numb to the blood she shed.

For a little while after that Sakura managed to convince herself that everything was going to be okay and Orochimaru's dire warnings were born from her own fears. Then came that disastrous mission in the Land of Tea, in which she had made the foolish mistake of allowing herself to slide back into that destructive team dynamic where she stood and watched. She had been so afraid of tipping their already fragile team dynamic that she had allowed an event to happen that seemed to shatter it completely. It had been so much easier to allow herself to be coddled, but it left a bitter tasted in her mouth every time one of her teammates leaped in front of her to protect from an enemy that posed no threat to one with her skills.

There was a certain amount of lurking resentment as well, in that no matter that they now had an idea that she was more than she had been, they still thought her too weak to be an equal member or they thought of her as a person to be protected rather than as a companion. She wondered is Naruto could guess how much his touching protective instincts hurt her as a person. She could deal with Sasuke's arrogance, because it was directed at them both, but Naruto was special. He was the one who had believed in her when she hadn't been worth believing in, but his way of thinking hadn't adjusted even now that she had finally become a person worthy of that trust. Her hesitation to force the situation had cost her when it had mattered the most.

When they had finally confronted that green haired traitor, Sakura had been swift to strike, and she knew she would be able to avoid his counter-attack. Unfortunately, Sasuke didn't share her opinion, swiftly inserting himself between her and her opponent. She had already committed herself to the strike and when she had been forced to stop it rather than allowing it to land on Sasuke's unprotected back she had felt the tearing vibration throughout her entire body. Because Shifting Sands depended on her chakra to do the awesome damage it inflicted, it was detrimental to the user when it rebounded. The damage was comparable to what Lee had done when he had opened his chakra gates, damaging both her muscles and her chakra system. It was only do to the swift actions of Amanozako that it been limited to that, sending a quick rush of dark chakra through her system to mitigate the worst of the impact. She had barely been able to leap after Sasuke when he fell from the cliff and it was with tears of helpless rage that she had commanded Naruto to continue the race.

So the broken and battered Team Seven had returned to Konoha. Sakura had deftly avoided being hospitalized, but Sasuke had enough damage done to him that he actually stayed in the hospital, rather than making his immediate escape.

That led her to where she was now, sitting on that same battered wall where Gai-sensei had found her so long ago. However, there was no green clad hero in sight, only a lightly clouded sky. Sakura idly picked up a stone from the wall, feeling its solid weight in her hand. A cry drew her attention from her quiet contemplation of the stone and back to the sky, where a messenger hawk was flying. _Kakashi. Why are we meeting, especially in Sasuke's hospital room?_ It was the feeling of sand sliding through her clenched fingers that alerted her she had unconsciously crushed the rock into dust. A single movement took from the wall and back towards the hospital, her muscles still protesting because Amanozako apparently was still in a snit from their last confrontation and had used up her meager measure of goodwill in saving her life from her own blow.


	16. The Divide Opens

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Or Itachi. Or Gaara. Or Neji. (Stifles sob.) But I have fanfiction to console myself.

A/N: As a gift to my loyal reviewers, here is the next chapter. This is what happens when I'm on break with no internet to distract me. I'm trying to finish the first arc before I leave for Christmas and have to take my finals, so expect about a chapter a day. Read, enjoy, and hopefully review. Your feedback is always appreciated.

Five Kingdoms for the Dead

Chapter Sixteen

---The Divide Opens---

In order to escape the scrutiny of the nurses, Sakura took the Kakashi route in, alighting on the window sill and surveying the room. Naruto was already there, chattering at Sasuke's side. Sasuke himself was staring at the wall opposite his position rather blankly. _I think he looks more lively when he's unconscious,_ she thought wryly to herself.

_He will make his decision soon._ Orochimaru's voice came as a bitter reminder of reality.

_He'll stay. Whatever it is he needs to kill his brother, he can find it here._ The protests were comforting and familiar, but even Sakura could hear the lessening of her conviction every time she repeated them to herself.

_He will go to Orochimaru. What will you do then? Will you begin to play the game for real Sakura-chan? Will you hunt him, run after him like a child, calling his name? What will you do Sakura-chan? What will you do?_ There were no answers that she could give, because in her heart she hoped it would never come to that, that she would never have to make that decision. She supposed a better shinobi would have a contingency plan in place, but she liked to think of herself as a better friend than shinobi. Sakura would have faith in her friend.

Sakura slipped through the window and alighted noiselessly on the tiled floor of the hospital. "Hey, Sakura-chan!" Naruto greeted as he caught sight of her. Sasuke didn't even acknowledge her presence beyond a slight twitch of his eyes in her direction.

"Hey Naruto, hey Sasuke," she greeted, running her fingers through the tangled tresses of her windswept hair.

"So Sakura-chan, whatcha think Kakashi-sensei wants?" Naruto inquired curiously, his blue eyes wide with excitement. "Do you think we have another mission?" His eyes flicked over to Sasuke, who didn't even respond to the lure of a new mission. "But Sasuke's still in the hospital, we can't go anywhere." Sakura watched her dark-haired companion carefully, but his obsidian eyes remained blank.

"I don't know. I guess we'll just have to wait for Kakashi." Sakura shrugged, a little more ambivalent about whatever Kakashi wanted to talk about. She beginning to nurse an abiding grudge for her sensei and his method of handling his team. She knew Team Seven was a little precocious and had more problems than any other team, but even so she couldn't help but feel that Kakashi's attitude towards them was a little naive. Kakashi-sensei might be an awesome shinobi, one of the best she had ever met, but to her it seemed he was more the type that should have been in the mysterious and disaffected ranks of ANBU rather than into teaching gennin teams.

A hand waving in her face broke her from her internal rant. "Hey Sakura, you still there?" Naruto's bright eyes were peering intently into her face and Sakura blushed. _All those conversations with Orochimaru and Naruto catches me zoning out on my own_.

"Yeah. Sorry about that." Her blush faded somewhat as she pulled her dignity back together.

Naruto seemed reassured, and resumed his tangent. "Maybe he's going to teach us some cool new jutsu! Or maybe…"

Kakashi's voice broke into Naruto's monologue of ideas before they could get too radical. "Or maybe you could wait and see what we're actually doing." Sakura was inwardly congratulating herself for not being surprised this time. Naruto turned his eager grinning face towards Kakashi and Sakura could fairly feel the excitement radiating from him. Sasuke turned his head toward Kakashi, nearly the first reaction he had shown in some time.

"So what is it Kakashi-sensei? Another mission?" Naruto chattered excitedly.

"Yes, but," he held up a hand, stilling Naruto's reaction, "this one's just for Sakura."

"What?" Naruto shouted.

"What do you mean Kakashi?" Sasuke demanded. It was the first real reaction he had shown since she had entered the hospital room.

"Gai has been assigned another solo mission, and Lee and Tenten were assigned their own. This left Neji Hyuuga without any assistance and as it is a low B-rank mission, Tsunade felt that it would be unwise to send him on his own. He was allowed to choose a partner and he requested Sakura."

After Kakashi's calm pronouncement, Naruto and Sasuke fairly exploded. "What?! But he can't take Sakura-chan!" Naruto protested.

"You're going to split up the cell again?" Sasuke growled at Kakashi. "What happened to teamwork?"

"Yeah, Kakashi-sensei! You can't split the team up! Besides, why can't me and Sakura do it if Tsunade needs the mission done so badly?"

"What are you thinking Kakashi? You can't send just the Hyuuga and Sakura on a B-rank mission." Sasuke was all but snarling in his ire.

"I think this will be a valuable experience for Sakura, and besides this won't be the first time she's worked with just Neji. She has no missions that she can complete currently, so there isn't an excuse for her not to go. And as for the rank, it's just a precaution put in place by a wealthy client. Tsunade apparently has a better opinion of Sakura's skills than the two of you. Besides, the real problem with our teamwork is the two of you. So look at this time as a bonding experience." His single visible eye crinkled up in smile at his two glowering students.

Sakura was rather dumbfounded. She knew she and Neji worked well together, but it was unexpected that he would simply snatch her up for a mission like this. But while that was flattering and welcome, she felt the faint burn of bile in her throat. Apparently, it was expected she would just fall into the equation once it had been worked out between Naruto and Sasuke. _Am I really that unnecessary?_

While she was reflecting, Sasuke had returned to glowering silence, while Naruto was muttering in the corner after Kakashi had told him in no uncertain terms that he would not be a welcome addition to the mission. "Sakura." Kakashi's voice demanded her attention. "Neji's going to meet you at the gate in half an hour, where he'll explain the mission. It should be fairly short." Kakashi said consolingly.

Sakura turned to say goodbye to her teammates, but neither one was paying her any attention. So, without a word, she used some of her chakra-enhanced speed to disappear from the tense situation. Her speed landed her quickly at her house, where she ducked in her window. _I'm getting as bad as Kakashi-sensei. Soon I'll start arriving three hours late to everything too._ It was a disheartening thought. Her pack was laid where it always was, always nearly packed with general equipment. After throwing in a few extra things, she glanced around the room to see if she had missed anything. Her eyes caught on a picture of Team Seven, placed on her vanity, which was serving as a storage place for scrolls. Laid next to it and overshadowing the small photo was the box that contained the scrolls that she had been entrusted with.

She hadn't even had an opportunity to look at them, but neither did she feel she was ready too. There was something about them that said they would take her another step along her path to becoming a shinobi, and she didn't want her journey to turn into a chaotic dash for power like Sasuke's had become. As she slung one of the straps of her pack over one of her black clad shoulders, her color for the day, she ran a hand along the smooth wood, tracing one of her seals idly.

Bowing her head, she turned away from the store of knowledge, which was joined by other scrolls scattered across the surface that had once been littered with items that catered to her vanity. That seemed so long ago, when she and Ino had been competing for Sasuke's affection and Team Seven had seemed whole. Now here she stood, a better shinobi than that girl had ever dreamed of being, but with a team that was falling apart and she hadn't even seen Ino since she had taken off for that first mission with Neji. Now she was preparing to go on another one, which was taking her away from the delicate piece of glass that contained the image of Team Seven.

She could only hope that glass didn't shatter before her return. She knew Neji's request had angered her teammates, and there was some sort of power struggle going on that existed only in Sasuke's head, but all those troubles would have to be left in the dubious care of Kakashi-sensei. She owed Neji her full attention on the mission, so all her personal problems would be left in this quiet room. She knew that was a how a shinobi should be, but that didn't stop it from hurting.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura leaped from her window to land lightly on the rooftop opposite her home and began the short trip to the gate. As she had expected, Neji was already there and he nodded in greeting as she landed before him.

"So what's our mission?" Sakura asked briskly.

Neji gave her a calculating look. "The Uchiha and Naruto didn't react well, I take it?"

"That obvious, huh?" Sakura asked, her head drooping in dissapointment. There went all her good intentions about leaving the problem at home.

However, Neji was professional enough not to pry and said simply, "No. Just predictable. As Kakashi probably told you, this is a B-rank mission. We've apparently impressed Tsuanade with our ability to act as couriers. This time it's three scrolls, which will all have to be delivered within a certain time frame to unnamed recipients. We were given only a location and a drop point. From there, there is a code phrase attached to each of the scrolls that we are supposed recognize the correct recipient by." Neji pulled the elaborate scroll cases from his bag and Sakura ran an appreciate finger over the fine wood.

"That sounds like a lot of trouble. How far are the drop points from one another?" she asked curiously.

Neji cleared his throat. "Let us just say that our speed had a great deal to do with us being chosen."

Sakura's face fell. Neji added consolingly, "Arrangements have been made for us at each of the cities the drop points are located in. We won't have to sleep outside."

"A soft mattress still doesn't seem like a fair exchange for chakra exhaustion." Sakura grumbled.

"If it bothers you that badly, take your training weights off." Neji said, putting two of the scrolls back into his pack and giving the other to Sakura.

Sakura blinked bemusedly. "Oh. I had forgotten I was wearing them." Neji shook his head in amused disgust. "Well," she sighed, but there was a sly gleam hidden there, "Let's go!" Without waiting for Neji to finish readjusting his pack she bounded onto the path and took to the trees, letting him take the lead after a moment, because she had no idea where they were going.

He drew nearer to her so he wouldn't have to shout. "Our first stop is in the Land of Earth again. This time let's hope we can avoid any ninja or bandits we may encounter." Sakura still recovering muscles were protesting at the strain, but she knew they would ease once she had run for a while. She was also anticipating her body crashing on her once they returned to the Village Hidden in the Leaves. With a reckless grin, she pushed herself a little faster and Neji met her speed.

The first leg took them to a moderately priced hotel, where they met their first contact and successfully passed over the scroll to a grey haired old man with a cane. After that they were shown to their room, where they enjoyed the comfort of their single beds for about ten minutes before Sakura muttered into her pillow, "How many?"

"Five," Neji said resignedly, though he managed to have the dignity not to attempt to smother himself in his pillow in the manner that Sakura did.

There was fire in Sakura's eyes as she raised her head, her hair in comic disarray. "I'm going to kill them." She said with quiet conviction. Neji raised an eyebrow before walking over to her side of the room and fixing a tuft of hair that had caught itself on her head band.

"You may want to reconsider that. I'm certain that leaving them unconscious so that they can suffer when they wake would be much more satisfying." His calm declaration was met with a glare directed at him from under a fringe of pink band that had fallen from its containment. He patted her condescendingly on the head and asked, "Are you coming?"

With one last glare, she pulled open their window and leaped up to the roof, where there were indeed five thugs waiting, all armed in some manner. As Sakura surveyed the sloppy forms and their rust-bitten weapons, she felt and unexplainable disappointment. This confrontation might as well be over now. "No Neji, beating trash like this is not going to make me feel any better."

"I promise to spar with you later, so quit talking and take out your share." Sakura was tired, and she was a young girl with a lot of issues. The thugs never stood a chance. Before one could even blink, she stood next to him. He struck at her awkwardly with the sword he held, but she never even flinched. Instead, she caught his wrist and with crushed it as easily as she had ground the stone from the wall into dust. The man cried out, attempting to strike her with his free hand, but that too met the same fate. Releasing his right wrist, she viciously chopped at his windpipe and he fell to the ground.

Spinning on the balls of her feet, she caught the oversized blade of an axe between her palms. The rough looking man who had been attempting to ambush her looked rather surprised, but not as much as when a predatory grin filled her face. Flexing her fingers and sending chakra 'pulses' through the metal, the axe blade shattered. Backing away quickly he put his hands up in surrender. Sakura had just been denied a moderately comfortable bed and she had already seen the oversized serrated knife tucked in the dirty strap of leather that served him a belt. Striding forward, it only took her three quick jabs at his nerve centers to render him unconscious.

"Are you done playing around?," Neji asked dryly. She turned around and found her partner standing idly over the slumped bodies of his defeated enemies. She was suddenly struck by a wave of homesickness, or to be more accurate, a longing to rejoin her team. There had been no rash yelling and a wave of shadow clones, or the quick competency and heat of a fire jutsu at her back. Neji was easy to work with, but she found herself longing for invisible tug-of-war that plagued Naruto and Sasuke's interaction.

"Yeah." Sakura muttered glumly.

"Still not feel better?" Neji teased, leaping from the rooftop and leading her on a weaving path that took them outside the town.

"I miss my team." Admitting it did nothing to stop her worry, that without her there, something was bound to happen. And that something might be the irreversible thing that made all her fears come true.

"You don't like working with me? Then I am sorry I asked you to come along." Neji asked, sounding hurt, though it was difficult to pick up. It was obvious only through something in his tone and a sudden tenseness in his body.

Sakura turned her head, wondering why he sounded so hurt by her comment. "It's not that Neji. You're a great partner, and I think that given time, we'll become great friends. But I'm worried about Sasuke and Naruto."

The minute tenseness in Neji's stance relaxed and he sighed. "I am sorry Sakura. I may have overacted when I thought you found some fault in me. I had thought we were becoming friends, which I do not have many of beyond my team. It…," he paused, seemingly hesitant to continue, "hurt me to think that you did not enjoy working with me."

Sakura blinked. This seemed very out of character for the stoic Neji and she subtly interrupted her chakra flow to be sure she wasn't trapped in a genjutsu. When nothing happened, she allowed a warm smile to cross her face. She couldn't imagine what it had cost Neji to say those words, but the subtle blush she could just pick out in the dark gave her a clue. "Neji, we are friends. I'm the one who should be sorry for letting you think we're not."

Her reward was the first warm, genuine smile she had ever received from her companion. There was a warm light in her chest, as if someone had a lit a gentle flame there. She had come so far from the days when no one but Ino and Naruto would have said those words to her. "Now that it is established that we are friends, I suppose it wouldn't be out of line for me to ask you what is worrying you so much about you teammates. I didn't think Sasuke's injuries were that serious." Neji commented.

Sakura focused on her feet, and the feel of the solid rock beneath her feet, seeing if its stability would somehow transfer to her. "They're not. But…Sasuke is very…confused right now. And I don't know what will happen."

Neji's pearly eyes nearly glowed in the dim moonlight, which was an interesting effect that Sakura hadn't noticed about her friend before. "And you are worried that something will happen while you are gone."

"Yeah."

"Well then," Neji said, "take your weights off. I assume you have a blank scroll to seal them in?" The unexpected comment brought Sakura to a halt. When she turned a questioning glance at Neji, he explained with a smirk, "Did you think you were the only one training? Now, let us see how quickly we can complete this mission so that you can return to your comrades."

Slowly, Sakura reached into her pack and pulled out a scroll, which she had already inked for a storage jutsu. Hesitantly, she reached under her armwarmers and pulled the weights from her arms. It was a peculiar feeling, to operate without the weights. It was almost if all feeling of solidity disappeared from the limb. The same sensation became apparent as she undid the weights on her feet and hesitantly picked up a foot. She met Neji's smirk with a grin of her own as she rolled the scroll and placed it in her pack. It was with a distinct air of challenge that she rose. "I think you offered to spar with me. How about we turn it into a foot race?"

"Are you sure you'll be able to keep up, Sakura? You look tired." Neji taunted.

"I'm sorry, were you saying something?" Sakura voiced came from a rock face twenty feet from where she'd just been. "Hurry up Neji, I'd hate to leave you behind."

With that, the two newly admitted friends took off into the night, racing against an invisible clock that sounded in Sakura's head and against the conflict brewing back in Konoha.

A/N: All right, this chapter is dedicated to BloodxMoonxNightmare, who wanted to see Neji snatch Sakura up for another mission. I'm not sure I did it justice, but I try.


	17. Departure

Disclaimer: I own the plot. And that's just about it.

A/N: All right, I'm not going to drag out this mission forever, even though I know you guys like the Neji/Sakura interaction. We actually get to see some plot advancement this chapter! Sorry if it's kind of short, I didn't want to split up the action in the next chapter. You'll see what I mean when you get to the bottom. Anyway, please review and thanks to everyone who already has. I got some really awesome reviews last chapter and I just wanted to know that they made my day while my world is awash with preparations for finals/

Five Kingdoms for the Dead

Chapter Seventeen

-Departure-

The breath caught roughly in Sakura's throat. Every muscle in her body was roaring with dull fire. Her right shoulder muscles ached from overextension. The last two scrolls had been delivered, but it appeared the first attempt had been a disarming ploy. So for the last few days she and Neji had been alternately avoiding and outrunning enemies that clearly outclassed their skill and leaving a trail of unconscious bodies in their wake.

Beside her Neji was breathing just as hard, a slow trail of blood running down his chin from a busted lip he had acquired from their last run in. "We have to stop." He murmured beside her. She could nearly feel his exhaustion. Sakura felt a twinge. He had pushed himself so hard for the sake of her worries.

"'Kay." She agreed, really too out of breath for anything else. She allowed herself to the forest floor. They had at least managed to get back within home borders before breaking down. Sakura rapidly assessed her chakra supply. If they continued their current brisk pace and stuck to the forest floor, she would have enough to report and get home before she would collapse in exhaustion. She snuck a glance at her companion. For once her companion looked almost as tired as her. Sasuke had the irritating stoicism and Naruto his seemingly boundless energy, which always made her wilt in comparison.

Still, he looked to be in better shape than she was, and not for the first time she cursed her years of slacking. But that didn't seem to help and instead she contented herself with resisting the urge to be sick. She felt the hard bark of a tree against her back and praised its solidity. For a space of about ten minutes, all that could be heard in the clearing was the sound of their heavy breathing. "I don't…ever…want to be a courier ninja for real." Sakura finally managed between breaths.

"Yeah." Neji agreed, his breath finally evening out. "Ready to go again?" he asked, eyeing her like he could evaluate her chakra levels himself.

With a grimace Sakura separated herself from the tree that had become her new best friend. "Let's go before my muscles decide they don't like me anymore." With a grunt she took off running across the forest floor, pushing herself as much as her calculations said was safe. Neji drew ahead of her again and she let him. All her speed training was worthless in the face of his greater endurance and chakra supply at the moment, but at least she wasn't holding him back.

It had become her private fear, to hold the others back. It stood alongside her other fear that her first crush was about to go too far, where no one could hold him back any longer. While her feelings may have shifted about Sasuke, he was still her teammate and had been the target of her affections so long it was second nature to worry about him.

Sakura would have leaped for joy when the gates finally came into view if she thought she wouldn't collapse. But she managed to keep her composure and they finally were admitted to the Hokage's office, where Tsunade blinked in surprise. "Well," she said, her voice warm, "I certainly didn't expect you two to be back this soon. Can I assume you completed your mission successfully then?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama." They chorused.

"Then I congratulate you on a job well done. I suppose I should probably kick you out of my office before you both fall over. Go home and get some rest." With a grateful bow, both Neji and Sakura took their leave. Sakura led the way through the hallways until they came to the door that lead outside.

She put her hand on the solid wood, as if she was going to throw it open, but she paused. Without taking her gaze from the solid surface in front of her she said awkwardly, "Thank you Neji. You don't know how much this means to me."

"It's what friends do Sakura. And you are my friend, right?" With a small smile, he laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Go home and get some rest before you collapse. Then you can go check on Sasuke and Naruto." In a move that properly displayed his skill as a ninja, he slipped between her and the door, opening it and holding it there for her. Sakura gave him a grateful smile and made her way to the platform at the top of the stairs, where she paused indecisively. "Go home Sakura." Neji's soft admonishment made her decision.

She didn't run home, instead trudging through the crowded streets like any of the countless civilians that roamed the city. When she finally reached her home, she even used the front door, something she hadn't done for weeks. Her parents appeared to not be at home, but that wasn't exactly a surprise. After a hot shower, Sakura tumbled ungracefully into her bed, falling asleep so fast it was like dropping a stone into a still lake.

Sakura was rather displeased some hours later when some instinct roused her. Blearily she peered outside, where it was dark. _What is this feeling?_, she asked herself. Something prodded her to drag her tired body from the covers. Without turning on the lights she pulled on her training shorts, along with a sleeveless black shirt. Her boots were pulled on and a brush run through her hair with the same haste. The low tail she put it on was so messy that it left most of her bangs to fall into her face.

Some instinct told her told her to go prepared, so her hands were quickly wrapped in their typical white bandages, with black bracers that she had bought but never worn because wearing the weights under them was awkward covering the length of her arm in three sections. Her kunai holster and shuriken pouch were added, before the entire ensemble went under a long black yukata. She wasn't about to go wandering Konoha at night so obviously armed and the night air was cool against her skin.

Before she knew what had happened, she found herself on the empty streets of Konoha. A brisk breeze blew by, making her hair and clothing billow dramatically around her form. As much as she hated to admit it, there was only one person that could cause this feeling of sick, nagging worry curling in her chest.

Like a lost shadow, she made her way silently to the road that led to the great gates that opened onto the dark forest beyond. There she waited, staring up at the moon, her mind empty and her breathing as slow as if she was asleep. All too soon, a voice sounded from behind her. "What are you doing here Sakura?" It was the familiar, cold voice of her teammate, but this time it offered no comfort in its familiarity.

"This is the only road out of the village." She answered, finally turning to face the one who had been a third of herself through situations that civilians could only dream of.

She thought she caught something in his eyes, something like surprise, before they were as blank and lifeless as if they were really carved of obsidian. "Sakura, get out of my way."

Sakura turned her head away, not able to face her friend. Not like this. "Sasuke, please, don't leave. If you leave, it'll be like a part of me is gone too."

Sasuke's voice was cold, and for the first time, Sakura realized that he met this coldness. "Sakura, you have no idea what I've endured. I will kill my brother. But in order to fulfill that dream, I can't stay here and play ninja anymore. I'm going to Orochimaru."

A single tear made a glistening trail down her face and Sakura finally faced Sasuke. "Sasuke. Please stay. Naruto and I will do anything to make your dream come true. We need you Sasuke. I need you." It was true, if not in the childish romantic sense she would have declared it months ago.

She knew things now that she wouldn't have understood months ago and would have attributed it to romantic attachment. Neji was a good partner, an excellent shinobi. But there was a sense of wrongness, emptiness without the other two parts that completed her when she thought of working with him exclusively. One day, she would be able to stand alone against the world as a proud shinobi. But for now, no matter how much she had grown physically, nor how many missions she accomplished without Naruto and Sasuke, she still needed the comfort of knowing that they would be there waiting when the mission was done.

His eyes softened for less than an instant, but then she could no longer see his eyes. Instead, she could feel his warm breath raising the fine hairs on her neck as he whispered, "Sakura. Thank you." Then she fell into an endless abyss of darkness.

When she clawed her way out of the stifling darkness, the only thing she could do was report to the Hokage that Sasuke Uchiha had become a missing nin. It was only after she had stood silently and watched as Shikamaru's team had departed and she was safely curled in her bed, still dressed in the black attire of the night before that she finally allowed herself to indulge in the great, wracking sobs that had threatened to well up.

After a few moments, she realized that with every sob, it grew harder to draw breath. Gasping for air, she rolling off the bed and landed hard on the solidity of her wooden floor. The terrible, unnervingly familiar heat that rose in her chest smothered the softer heat of her tears. Once again, the black flames clawed at the edge of her vision, bringing her down. Smothering a scream, she closed her eyes as they overwhelmed her.

When she opened them, she was in that same dark abyss that a monster waited. And it was there, Amanozako's terrible form filling the sky. There was a gleam in the already maddened crimson eyes that did not bode well. The scent of its breath was heavy with blood when she spoke, the foul stench fairly cloaking her in its hold. "I promised you, you foolish little child. And yet you stood there, like the fool you are!" A long, ragged claw made a swift journey across the delicate skin of Sakura's face, opening a thin line of crimson that crossed the bridge of her nose and made a shallow journey across her eyelid, barely sparing in the delicate eye beneath.

From the darkness the shrouded Amanozako's form especially heavily, the slim figure of Orochimaru appeared. There was an easily identifiable look on his face: disappointment. "Sakura-chan…"

"I didn't want to use force to make him stay. If it came down to that, he was better gone!" The tears that had begun in the real world continued, but as Sakura brought her hands to her face to wipe them away, she noted with horror that it was a sticky crimson liquid that trailed in warm runnels down her face.

"Then take his choice away, you idiotic mortal. Make his only choice to stay." Sakura attempted to avoid the blow, but she was only able to make sure the blow of the expansive black feathered wing shattered her shoulder and not her spine. Sakura gritted her teeth, knowing Amanozako could kill her here and never lay a scratch on her physical body.

"And do what? Challenge Orochimaru? I'm not that much of a fool."

Orichimaru's golden eyes lit with scorn. "He isn't quite the Orochimaru you remember. He either lacks the use of his jutsu, or is weak from a body transfer. That's why he is collecting Sasuke now. And to think they said you were intelligent."

"But..," her protest was cut short.

"Haven't you played the game, Sakura-chan? All you have to do is make him retreat. Not win. Then you can recapture your wayward piece." His golden eyes were relit with cruelty, all his disappointment burned away in favor of the burning light of ambitious plotting.

Sakura curled her fingers around the loose bones, the pain grounding her. "I'm…I'm," she felt the warm flow of blood begin from her mouth and she wondered what it was from, "not strong enough. Not to save Sasuke." _Not even to save myself._ The unspoken words were loud in the great expanse of her mind. The last of her breath left her body and she had to struggle to regain it. It was as if the black flames were devouring all the air, making each breath a struggle.

Amanozako brought the great muzzled face closer to her head. "If you are that weak, why do you continue to struggle then? What was all that training for?"

It took Sakura aback. Why did she struggle? If she gave in, she would wake and find herself on the floor of her room. It came to her slowly, sluggishly, but she could hear it like a mighty tome closing its pages. "Because I will not lose!"

It had a dramatic effect, that desperate scream. With a pulse that exactly matched the beating of her heart, the thousands of tiny characters lit up the sky like twisted red stars.

"At last." There was something smug in Amanozako's voice.

"What's happening?" Sakura whispered as the ground beneath her began to twist and writhe, like the bones themselves were alive and in pain.

"We are descending to the Second Kingdom, the kingdom of Ash. It is what lies beyond the reaches of despair." Amanozako laughed, a sound like the funeral bells of a thousand churches ringing out.

Sakura found herself falling once again, like a hole had opened up in the world and dropped her through it. She braced for a landing as painful as the ones in the last 'kingdom' had been, but instead, she landed on something so soft and warm she thought she had imagined it.

But the sight that met her eyes when she opened them was not encouraging. There was an odd grayness to the light of this realm, like sunlight filtered through colored paper or the haze of heavy smoke. And as far as her eye could see, there was absolutely nothing, a flat gray expanse stretching out under an endless sky.

As she stood, swirls of something from the ground followed her, like a dusty grey cape and she quickly realized what it was. Ashes, the ashes of dreams, of fallen cities, of defeated dreamers filled this place. She raised a quivery hand to her lip, the swirling grey ashes following the movement. "This is a terrible place."

"A terrible splendor indeed child." Her movements were emphasized by the swirling cloud that surrounded her, so that when she turned to face Amanozako she had to wait for a grey haze to clear.

Amanozako was close, much closer than Sakura was comfortable with. "Now we can begin, now that you have opened the first gate."

"What? Begin what?" Sakura nervously backed away, until she ran into a solid obstacle. A quick glance confirmed that it was Orochimaru.

"The game Sakura-chan. We have to go chase our missing piece before it becomes someone else's knight." With horror Sakura watched as the human skin fell away, leaving a great white serpent in its place.

The great coils offered her no avenue of escape. "But I don't even know where Orochimaru is!"

"But you do, Sakura-chan. Even if you do not remember, I do. And we are one person. One being." The long, forked tongue flicked out, tracing its way over the still bleeding cut Amanozako had left on her face.

"But…I can't face a Sannin." Sakura slumped, accepting that she couldn't escape from the great serpent's clutches, but unwilling to surrender her will to something born from the depths of her own mind.

A long, clawed finger delicately curled around her chin, leaving a shallow gash and guiding her face until she faced Amanozako again.

"You will not face him alone. You will pit my power and the force of your will against him and we will drive him from his nest. And then you will be left to confront you precious Sasuke, as you should have done in the first place. We will see if you can resist the desire to spill his blood for what he has done." With those words, Amanozako's great jaws opened and the terrible rows of teeth placed themselves delicately over Sakura's heart. Sakura had only the time for a single thought. _I will protect them both!_ Then, as her world exploded in pain, all Sakura could hear were her own screams.


	18. Hell Rising Heaven Opposing

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto , it would be a sad thing. So let's all be grateful I don't and get on with the fanfiction.

A/N: I think this is the longest chapter we've had in a while. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you, everyone who reviewed!

Five Kingdoms for the Dead

Chapter Eighteen

-Hell Rising/ Heaven Opposing-

The burning rush filled her, like a dark purification, the pain driving her beyond anything she had ever experienced. It was so distracting she didn't even notice she had awakened for a few moments as she blinked. But the feeling of intoxication didn't leave. Her body felt weightless as she levered herself from her position on the floor.

When she caught sight of herself in her vanity mirror, she froze like a cornered animal before gaze a rapid predator. Someone…some_thing_ she didn't recognize stared back. It was her form, still the same lithe figure, but it wasn't her. It stared back at her with terrible, mocking eyes, eyes that couldn't display pity or compassion if they tried. The irises were pitch black, only a thin line of poisonous green separating them from the pupil. The distinctive full three tomoe of the Sharingan surrounded the pupil, mirrored in the same glowing green.

Her bangs, which had once framed her face in characteristic pink, had blackened and become featherlike. They still framed her face, with smaller black feathers hanging behind her ears and becoming black down, mingling with the fine pink hairs at the back of her neck. Her pink hair was still contained by the band she had so hastily put in it last night, but its color looked strange resting against the black strands.

Her immaculate black yukata hung from her body in shreds, like she had clawed at in pain. And with the elongated nails that tipped each finger that became a distinct possibility. They looked disturbing against the familiarity of the white bandages that ended at the first knuckle. It was only when something rustled against her back that she discovered the second reason her outer wear was in tatters. She sent a horrified glance over her shoulder, in the vain hope that the mirror lied. But they were there, twisted into her musculature structure as surely as if they had always been there. The terrible dark crow-like wings of Amonozako.

They weren't beautiful, or covered with shining feathers either. Instead they were tattered, and the feathers looked like they would fall off when they encountered the first stiff breeze. And there was a scent that she couldn't identify that had wrapped itself around her skin. It took her a moment before her brain made the connections. Blood. Smoke. Ash. And somehow, flame.

When she opened her mouth to either scream or gasp in horror, another unpleasant surprise revealed itself. Each and every one of her teeth had been transformed into sharp fangs. _I'm a monster._ A thundering voice in her head destroyed her panic as another dark wave of pain and euphoria washed through her.

_What are you waiting for?_

As she leaped onto her windowsill she caught sight of her clock out of the corner of her eye. An entire day had passed while she had spoken to the monster inhabiting her body. If she didn't hurry she would be left standing on the sidelines again, unable to do anything. The wash of rage and bloodlust that washed over her mingled with her own desires and sent her flying out her window on the wings that Amanozako had provided.

Her journey by wing was much swifter than those made by the ninja who had been sent to pursue Sasuke. She quickly found out the downfall that seemed to come with this immense new power. She had to fight to keep her persona dominant. Orochimaru seemed to want to mesh with her original personality, first evidenced by a slow, building urge to land and simply watch as the battles around her played out. Amanozako was less easily satisfied. While she couldn't directly emerge like it seemed Orochimaru could and Inner Sakura once had, she was able to flood Sakura with foreign emotions and images. If she had let her, Amanozako would have been able to control her like a puppet, destroying everything she encountered. There was a distinct aura of malice that Sakura was unable to rid herself of, but she quickly fought her way to dominance in the odd twisting of chakras.

Her new eyes caught every detail as she flew, and for once in her life she finally understood just how much of an advantage Sasuke's bloodline offered him. Even her cheap mimicries offered a whole new world of comprehension to her. It was only when her eyes touched on the sunken entrance to what her other minds tell her is Orochimaru's lair that she first began to have trouble.

The world seemed to take on a crimson haze as Amanozako roared. Losing control of her own body, Sakura's black wings tucked in close to her body and she began to plummet. Regaining control just before Amanozako would have flung then directly into the darkness, she flung out the new appendages. Her wingtips were wide enough to catch on the rough stone, tearing loose a few feathers and shaking loose more. Her muscles screamed that they weren't meant to be used like that, but she could almost feel as the dark chakra regenerated the torn ligaments.

Her first steps were tentative, but it appeared that her enhanced senses worked well in the darkness of this lair. It was a pity that she didn't know the layout of this place and she didn't know how much time she had before Sasuke arrived. The only thing she could do was smother her chakra signature and silence her steps and seek out the dark master.

She knew she was in trouble when a voice that both was and wasn't her own said, _He'll come to us when we start destroying things._

Swallowing back the tempting offer, she concentrated her senses, seeking what she was sure would be a massive chakra signature. There it was, located right next to another that she assumed was Kabuto. Gathering her will, she took off into the darkness, traveling at a speed that had formerly been impossible for her. Only with these new eyes could she see quickly enough to travel safely at such speeds. It took her some time, becoming a shadow in Orochimaru's lair. Her heart wrung each time she hit one of the prison corridors. She made a silent promise to free them if she lived through her encounter with Orochimaru.

Finally, she managed to position herself nearly directly above the two signatures she recognized. Sakura gritted her teeth, before striking the stone floor with all the chakra enhanced strength she knew she would need to send herself through the floor without collapsing the structure on itself.

Beneath the kunoichi's position, Orochimaru and Kabuto were watching the flickering flame of a candle and discussing the battle that they knew was occurring on the outside. Suddenly, with a great crash, something tumbled to the floor in a swirl of dust and tattered black feathers.

Kabuto's eyes widened and Orochimaru's eyes narrowed as something rose from the destruction, like some sort of dark phoenix. The dust slowly settled, making the figure standing there slightly more visible. But it wasn't until it took a step forward into the torchlight that they managed to get a good look at the abomination that had risen in a dungeon full of them.

Kabuto was struck by something familiar about the figure, and in a moment he managed to make the connection. "Sakura."

The figure raised its head and then unfamiliar, dangerous eyes flickered up to meet his own. He took an involuntary step back. This wasn't the pushover gennin he had met in the Forest of Death, or even the competent young shinobi that he had encountered at the chunnin exams. This was a monster. "Hello Kabuto." Sakura's light, pleasant voice sounded unnatural issued from the creature's form.

"Who is this Kabuto?" Orochimaru asked, his eyes never leaving the figure before him. There was an unusual deadness to this presence. He couldn't sense a chakra signature at all.

"This is Sakura Haruno, my lord. She is one of Sasuke-kun's teammates." He explained quickly, still fighting to keep still under the unnatural gaze.

Orochimaru stood, asking casually, "So, Sakura, was it? What brings you here?"

The dark eyes met Orochimaru's golden snake-like orbs without fear. "The Sharingan." Orochimaru hissed, recognizing the doujutsu immediately.

Sakura ignored his surprise. "You lied to Sasuke. You promised him the power to defeat Itachi, but you yourself were defeated by Itachi. Quite the tangle, don't you think?" There was a cold, numb sensation rolling over Sakura. It took her a moment to identify it as rage, the most dangerous kind. The

kind that sharpened the mind and the senses, without detracting from the raw power that rage provides.

"And how do you know that, child?" Orochimaru was intrigued admittedly. He barely remembered this pink haired child, yet here she stood before him with a form of the Sharingan he had never encountered. And there were certain other oddities as well, such as the strangeness of her hair.

"Because Itachi knows this."

"That isn't much of an answer, Sakura." Kabuto backed away until his back came into contact with the wall. This was an encounter between predators, one he wasn't sure he wanted a part of. His master advanced, as did the girl until the both stood in the center of the room.

"It wasn't much of a question. I didn't come here for that. Sasuke belongs to the Village Hidden in the Leaves." The words were said with cool conviction, both shinobi still relaxed, as if this were a casual conversation.

"He is coming to me of his own free will." There was a mocking smile and Orochimaru's face.

"Then I will take away the temptation." As if from some invisible signal, both opponents uncloaked a measure of their chakra. The killing intent in the room thickened.

Sakura reached into her pouch, while Orochimaru stood there, still arrogantly confident in his own abilities. Even as Sakura's fingers touched cool metal, she flickered out of the range of normal human sight. Even Orochmaru's instincts barely allowed him to dodge the two kunai. But Sakura had known they wouldn't hit. She had thrown them to test Orochimaru's reflexes. The Orochimaru who resided in her head had been right in that he was much slower than the last time she had encountered him, and his range of vision was limited as well.

She didn't even notice that where her chakra had been attached to the kunai hungry black flames licked at the walls where they had embedded themselves. But Orochimaru's quick eyes identified the flames, which were familiar to him. Amatseru. He knew that he couldn't afford to play long with this girl, who could quickly turn into a nuisance.

With the lightning quick summoning that characterized his style, two of his lesser snakes struck at Sakura. Sakura never moved, instinctively shielding herself with one of her wings. Orochimaru's eyes narrowed once again as the snakes dashed themselves onto the wings and were shredded by the bladelike feathers.

"Well, well. It appears that you aren't quite your average kunoichi." Orochimaru observed. Narrowing her eyes, Sakura unleashed the full brunt of her chakra for the first time, kicking up dust and little tongues of black flame. Even Orochimaru was a little stunned by the intensity of the chakra. Not nearly equal to that of the Kyuubi, but perhaps on par with Shukaku. And she was quick. This was not going to be a pretty battle.

Elongating his entire body, Orochimaru used his greater flexibility to crawl under her guard, striking her three times about the torso with other snakes, as well as opening several shallow wounds with kunai as she danced backwards in an attempt to avoid him. Blooded, Sakura managed to bring her other wing into play to throw him off. But she knew it was only a temporary measure, and she could feel the burn of a poison in her system. Reaching into her pouch, she began to fling kunai at him, which he deflected easily.

It wasn't until a moment later he noticed the shimmering 'petals' floating lazily in the air. Sakura bared he teeth in a triumphant grin. "Sakura Blizzard jutsu." It was a heavier, more concentrated version of the attack she had used during their mission in Snow. The miniature exploding tags lit, and Orochimaru was blown backwards. Readying other kunai, Sakura pressed the advantage she had been offered. She lacked the ninjutsu to fight at a range, so she would have to get close and depend on her taijutsu.

Orochimaru caught her kunai with his own in a cross-armed brace, so Sakura used her superior position to kick him solidly in the chest. She knew it had worked when he began to cough blood, but then she cursed, knowing she had been fooled by that particularly disgusting jutsu of Orochimaru's, where he left a shell of his body behind to sustain the damage.

He came up from behind and lodged a kunai painfully under the great muscle that controlled her left wing, the tip of the blade scratching across her scapula. She was forced to disengage momentarily. Sakura rapidly discovered that the kunai was in an awkward position, one she couldn't reach, and caused her wing to trail across the floor. Angrily she closed in again, flapping her remaining wing to gain height.

Making several clones of herself, she closed the distance quickly. Orochimaru easily dispatched the first and dodged the spinning kick of the second, but it momentarily left him vulnerable to her third, real attack. Bringing her leg down in a less powerful emulation of Tsunade's Painful Sky Leg, she felt the satisfying crunch of bone. A wave of demonized chakra followed it, charring and destroying nerves and muscle fiber.

Orochimaru nearly snarled in frustration when he realized that one of his arms had been rendered useless again. Sakura flickered in, breaking his other arm when he raised it to guard against her. Splaying her fingers out wide, she brought her claws into play. As she channeled chakra into her hand to enhance the blow, tiny runnels of black flame traced the jagged curve of her nails. It ate through Orochimaru's flesh like butter, sending his body crashing to the ground.

Sakura stood, panting. She felt a tiny frisson of fear as something crawled from the open mouth of the empty corpse. It was a form only vaguely familiar to her. It was a white serpent, but more unnatural, perverted than the one that Orochimaru assumed within the worlds of her mind. It had a ragged black mane, its body composed of scales in the form of the heads of other snakes.

"So this is your true form. You're uglier than I thought you would be." Sakura snarled.

"I had no idea that you would be able to drive me so far. But this is where it ends. I will have the Uchiha." The great serpent's maw opened, spilling out venomous serpents across the floor. They formed a living, poisonous floor, forcing Sakura backwards against the far wall. A slow whisper roared across her senses. _Do you want to win?_

The answer came easily now, so lost was she in the twining of her personalities. _At any cost._

There was a sense of victory before a sharp, shifting pain ran through her veins. It was the dark flames again, eating away at her. She could hear, as if through another' ears, as the bones in her face shifted into a too familiar muzzle, rows of teeth pushing their way through tender jaws. The rest of her long pink haired burst free from its tie, feathering out into a long black mane. The warmness on her cheeks told her that her eyes had begun to bleed, her black Sharingan disappearing under the influence of the dark fire of Amanozako's rage.

The claws were larger, with black feathers peaking through the bandages at her wrist. The wings were larger as well, the shifting muscles clenching around the kunai driven deep within her back. It wasn't her voice that tore its way through her throat either. "**You old fool. I will paint your likeness in flames and bathe in shower of your blood.**" With the first words, the tiny flames that had licked idly at the floor and walls rose. They raced across the floor, forming an intricate seal with Sakura at its center.

Sakura's hands formed a hand seal that she had never seen before. The flames had nearly finished their pattern and Sakura picked out the distinctive comma designs that she associated with the heaven curse seal. She saw panic painted clearly in the serpent's eyes, as Kabuto did his best to melt into the wall. Her heavy, clumsy clawed hands suddenly began to dance, running through a sequence of a seals that she couldn't recognize. The pale serpent lurched desperately at her. Time seemed to hand in the air.

"**Heaven Opposing Darkness flame reverse seal.**" The commas of the curse mark flashed once as the walls were painted with the kanji she knew from the interior of her soul. And then suddenly the world was aflame, the devouring fire roar outward in a violent spiral with Sakura at its center. She heard the scream of the serpent, but she knew, with the unnatural awareness of a demon, that both Orochimaru and Kabuto had escaped through the hole she had punched in the roof. The flames rushed after them, but she pulled back as the first runnels of flame approached the prisoner's quarters.

Sakura clawed her way through the hazy, world that she had fallen into, reassuming dominance. Without Amanozako's chakra to support them, the black flames died, leaving obsidian volcanic rock were the heat had touched the stones and earth. The pain edged her world with grey as the demonic transformation reversed itself, until there was simply a pink haired young girl in tattered black clothing on her knees in an empty throne room.

Sakura grunted, trying vainly to reach the kunai that pierced her back, making her left arm hand uselessly at her side. Her vision was blurry as she stumbled through the halls, and a slow trickle of dark blood from her mouth told of internal bleeding. The prisoners shrank back as she approached the bars. She noted dully that the sheer heat had killed several of them. She hadn't pulled back in time and Amanozako hadn't cared how many or who she had killed, only the lives were disappearing under her claws.

Her bandanges hung in tatters as she reached out, closing her hand over the lock. It broke easily under hand. "Get out." Her voice was so raspy that it didn't even sound like her own. "Free the other prisoners and get out." The slam of the opening door sounded loud in the suddenly silent halls.

"Is Orochimaru dead?" One of the prisoners asked hesitantly.

"No. But he is in no condition to complain if you escape. So get out." It hurt to speak, like she had been swallowing fire.

There began a slow exodus, which turned into a tidal wave as families and friends were reunited, and prisoners freed their comrades. But no matter how crowded the halls became, they gave her a wide berth. Sakura turned her back, slow steps returned her to the throne room that she had first confronted Orochimaru in. She knew she had been lucky. He had been weak from transferring into a new body and hadn't the space to utilize his larger summons. And the intensity of Amanozako's chakra had kept Kabuto from interfering, but she doubted she would be so fortunate if she ever had to confront him again.

She collapsed into the chair in the room that was now constructed of the sharp, shiny rock that shimmered with glistening crystals that had formed in the heat of the attack. Coughing dully, she felt more blood spill onto the crusted surface of her lips. She closed her eyes to wait. Sasuke would come.

Sasuke made his painful way into Orochimaru's lair, but he immediately sensed something was wrong. The halls were far too silent, and all the cells stood open and empty except for the dead bodies strewn in some of them. Confusedly he came to a place where the floor changed into a black rock. His steps led him a large hole, which he immediately dropped into. He found himself in a room, empty of all but a single, throne-like chair. There was a slumped figure seated on the throne and he approached cautiously. Sluggishly, flames began to light in sconces melted into the wall. The figure on the throne remained shrouded in shadow.

"Orochimaru?" he said cautiously, expecting this was some sort of test or trap.

A ragged, painful breath came from the figure as it straightened. The lights nearest the throne finally lit as the person opened their eyes. Sasuke gasped as he met familiar emerald orbs.

"You really are a teme, you know that Sasuke?" Sakura said painfully.

"What is this?" Sasuke demanded. In his mind, thoughts raced and he was forced to reorient himself. _Sakura? What is she doing here? Does this mean…? How far has she gone?!_

"Were you really that much weaker than your brother? He found his power in Konoha. Why couldn't you do the same?" Sakura was staring vacantly at a spot over Sasuke's right shoulder.

"If I had kept playing ninja with you, I wouldn't have found the power that I have. Now where is Orochimaru?" Her mention of his brother obviously infuriated him.

Sakura finally focused her gaze on Sasuke's battered form. She snorted, blood blossoming again from her mouth. But it was slowing as Amanozako began her slow repair of her damaged internal organs. "If we were that weak Sasuke, why did you have to use everything you had to beat Naruto?"

Surprise blossomed in Sasuke's eyes. "You know, if you stay in Konoha, you'll see your brother again. In three years he'll come back."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked, his dark eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"He's after Naruto."

"What makes him so special? Is it that power of his?" Sasuke's voice was bitter, and Sakura wondered if he was jealous that Itachi was paying more attention to Naruto than him.

"It isn't my place to say. But if you stay in Konoha and train, you'll have another chance in three years." Sakura's voice was tired and level, not pleading.

"How do you know all this?" Sasuke was suspicious now, but Sakura was so busy staying conscious she couldn't bring herself to care.

"Maybe one day, if you come back, I'll tell you. Now," Sakura levered herself out of the chair, "will you come back with me?"

Sasuke's head fell. "Why do the two of you go so far? Why would you bring yourself to the brink of death for bonds that will only cause you pain?"

Sakura limped forward until she could place a bloodstained hand under Sasuke's chin and force him to meet her eyes. "Because we aren't complete without you there. And those bonds bring joy along with the pain. That's why we'll live for those bonds. And maybe, one day, we'll die for those bonds."

He jerked his head out of her hand, wavering from his exhaustion. "Fine. I'll come back."

A painfully wide grin made its way across Sakura's face, spitting her lip open. Her green eyes glowed cheerfully. "Good. Because I would have hated to drag your unconscious body all the way back to the village."

A/N: All right! We've finally come to the end of the Orochimaru arc and Sasuke hasn't left. Now, to all those reviewing: Tell me, are you bored yet? Or shall we continue with the Akatsuki arc? Feedback is appreciated, because it will decide whether or not Five Kingdoms for the Dead is continued or if the story ends here. So cast your vote, and we'll see where it ends up.


	19. Return

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, its characters, or its world. This is simply my poor attempt at imitation.

A/N: Some character building occurring before we approach the time skip. Sorry if it's kind of short. I really want to thank everyone for all their support. I will attempt to continue to live up to expectations.

I really appreciated all the reviews I received, but I just had to check. So here we go again. If you care to, review. I really appreciate it.

Five Kingdoms for Dead

Chapter Nineteen

-Return-

They had just reached the peak of the stairs that led from Orochimaru's hideout when Sakura was overtaken by another coughing fit. As she crumbled weakly to her knees she wondered just how much more she could take before the pleasant, spreading numbness turning into the darkness of unconsciousness. Sasuke waited for her to recover, still holding his right arm.

"Do me a favor Sasuke?" she asked weakly, her voice rough and raspy.

"What?" He asked impatiently and Sakura would have rolled her eyes if the motion wouldn't have cost her more of her precious energy. Impatient to leave and now impatient to return.

"There's a kunai in my shoulder. Get it out." She blinked repeatedly, but the haze that had haunted her eyes since the battle refused to disappear. She remained on her knees, while Sasuke tentatively tried to remove the kunai. She had to bite her lip to keep from screaming.

Sasuke blinked, studying the situation. "It's in at a really odd angle." _That would be the transformation,_ Sakura said with acid in her head. When her regular musculature had returned, she had felt the way the returning muscles had pulled around the knife. Luckily her shoulder blade had deflected the blade from its real target and Orochimaru hadn't been able to sever her spine either.

"Your muscles are clenched around it. Try to relax. This is going to hurt." He grasped the handle solidly and drew the length of metal out. Sakura held onto her thread of consciousness, but she managed to bite through her already mangled lip. Tentatively, she attempted to move her fingers. There was a great deal of pain and they felt rather stiff, but they still functioned.

"Thanks." Sakura pulled herself to her feet. "Well, they're waiting for us."

"What do you think will happen to me?" Sasuke asked quietly as they began the slow journey back to the village. His curiosity about the fate of Orochimaru appeared to have faded, but Sakura knew he was only waiting for a more opportune time to attack her for answers.

"Well, you never actually managed to defect to Orochimaru, so it won't be too bad, I guess. We'll have to see." Sakura answered him. She really had no idea what the Hokage would do. She had only known that Sasuke couldn't be allowed to leave Konoha.

The rest of the journey was conducted in a slow silence. Only will was keeping her standing as they managed to reach Konoha's gates. She was dirty, tired, and hadn't eaten in some time. Her chakra was comparable to dregs and even Orochimaru had been quiet the whole way.

But Sasuke was in equally bad shape. Sakura didn't recognize the chunnin who were manning the gate, but she was quite willing to collapse into the shocked arms. Sasuke, with pride and will, kept himself upright the entire trip to the hospital, where they were met by the Fifth herself.

Tsunade had gasped in shock, but then pursed her lips and yelled for Shizune and a healing team. In the interest of questioning them as soon as possible they had been urged into a ward that was separated by a folding wall. Sakura had allowed her senses to dull to a pleasant haze as the healers got to work, pulling the tattered remains of her clothes from her and sponging the dirt, sweat, and ash from her skin before they began the healing.

The healer examining her muttered a litany of wounds. "Serious damage to the muscles above the left scapula, what appear to be bite marks on the torso. Both have the beginning of an infection forming. There are some shallow kunai wounds as well. There is a poison that will have to be removed immediately. It appears to arrest the movement of the lungs. Looks like we have a few more hours before it becomes critical. Wish she'd gotten to us sooner."

"Is that all?" Shizune asked as she drew a sample of the poison and had it sent for analysis.

"Chakra exhaustion, as expected. There is also mild damage to the optical nerve and faint signs of internal bleeding. There are also blisters and burn damage on the interior of her throat."

"Can the damage to the eye be reversed?" Shizune asked.

"Yes. It appears to be caused from heat damage, though how it managed to damage the nerve and not the retina, I'm not sure."

Sakura was semi-conscious as they worked on her, feeling the warm rush of healing chakra pour through her, taking away the last remnants of the fiery chakra of Amanozako. She drifted into a peaceful sleep, the first for what seemed like a very long time.

When she awoke, she was staring into hazel eyes that were examining her curiously. Tsunade spoke. "You accumulate some of the strangest damage. Between you and the rest of your team…" she trailed off, shaking her head in disgust. "Well, at any rate, Sasuke Uchiha is now sleeping peacefully in the next bed. Naruto Uzumaki is almost ready to be discharged."

"That's good." Sakura whispered.

The hazel eyes hardened a little. "Before he went to sleep, the Uchiha managed to tell us that he entered Orochimaru's hideout, only to find It empty and you waiting there." She settled herself on the chair next to Sakura's bed, crossing one leg over the other and crossing her arms."Do I want to know how you managed to get to Orochimaru before Sasuke?"

Sakura avoided her gaze. Tsunade had been remarkably tolerant, never inquiring deeply about the damage she had incurred in her encounter with Itachi nor about any of her other ventures. "Probably not." Sakura admitted.

Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "Well then. I suppose you will just as willing to explain what happened before Sasuke arrived?"

Sakura looked down at the crisp white sheets of her bed, where she found her hands clenched within the folds of fabric. "I confronted Orochimaru. He had been forced to take a new body before Sasuke had arrived, so he was considerably weaker than usual. We engaged in combat. After some time, I was able to make him assume his true form. Then I used a kinjutsu, which forced he and Kabuto to flee. He should not be a threat for some time until he can acquire a new body." She didn't look at the woman who ruled her village. Instead she simply listened as she sighed and heard the rustle of clothes as she stood.

"I understand that you may be unwilling to speak of what happened, so I won't ask any more questions, except this one. Will any of the actions you have performed today, or at any point in the past, threaten the Village Hidden in the Leaves?"

Sakura forced her voice to be firm. "No."

"Very well then." Footsteps, and then the sound of a door opening, then sliding shut. Sakura closed her eyes, but opened them again almost immediately. With a resigned sigh she pulled herself from the bed, adjusting the pale blue cloth of the enveloping hospital robe to fall more comfortably.

Her wandering footsteps led her to the roof of the hospital, where white sheets were billowing gently in the breeze. She couldn't know that days earlier, while she had been on her last mission with Neji, this same roof had served as an arena for her teammate's last disastrous confrontation.

"So you're the one." The voice, rough like sand being ground from stone, was immediately identifiable. Especially since the last time she had heard it, she had been confronted with the sneering half-formed face of a demon.

Cautiously, Sakura turned her head, finding the form of Gaara of the Desert standing near the still open door. He was positioned casually, his arms crossed over his chest in his usual manner. There was something noticeably different about him and Sakura saw the change immediately. It was in his eyes, which had once shone with a hungry, unfulfilled gleam, but now surveyed her with calm curiosity. It appeared Naruto's shining sphere of influence extended even over the vast wastelands of the Land of Wind, centering the heart of the son of the former Kazekage.

"I brought Sasuke back, if that's what you mean." Sakura responded cautiously, turning to face Gaara more fully.

Gaara's seagreen orbs told her he wasn't deceived by her answer. For a long moment, they simply stood, staring at one another. "You have gotten stronger since the last time that I faced you in battle." He finally said.

"And you've changed." Sakura countered. He looked a little older, wiser, and different from the bloodthirsty monster she had associated him with. "Why are you here?"

His eyes turned to gaze on the immense reaches of the blue sky above them. "My siblings and I were repaying a debt that we owed to Konoha."

Sakura's green orbs softened at the awkward nature of his tone, like he was offering her a silent apology. Her gaze traveled to the repaired water towers and she found she had just enough chakra and energy to leap to the base of one. She wound her way around the tower and sat on the edge of the roof, dangling her feet idly over the edge. The view was unimpressive, but it warmed her heart to know she was back in the village she loved, with those precious to her waiting just inside the building.

A rush of sand from just behind her alerted her to the presence of Gaara. Without turning to look, she gently patted the rough surface next to her. Like a wild animal, his approach was slow and cautious, but soon he had settled into a comfortable position, one leg tucked up against his body, with the other hanging over the open expanse below them.

They say quietly for a while until Sakura sighed. "You should go back to your room. You will cause your companions to worry if you are missing." Gaara said softly. Without replying Sakura headed back, until she paused before leaving the bright sunlight of the roof.

"Thanks, Gaara." She said quietly. She meant it, for the silent support she doubted he even knew he had offered her, for not asking the questions she didn't want to answer. She couldn't see it, but a small, pleased smile crossed the face of the red haired boy as he tilted his head back and allowed the cool breezes of Konoha to ruffle his hair.

Sakura quickly made her way back into her hospital room, where she found some nurse had pulled back the screen that had separated the rooms she and Sasuke had been placed in. A small pitcher of water was by her bed, and someone had left a small cut flower in a vase. A gentle smile graced her features as she read the card from Lee, his 'youthful' wishes that she get well lifting her spirit.

Her eyes widened when she caught sight of the small mixed bouquet of blue periwinkle, snowdrops, and pale tea roses that the card proclaimed were from Neji. She hadn't even known he was allowed out of his ward, let alone out to buy flowers. He would have had to ask someone else to get them, which would have certainly taken its toll on the stoic young ninja. A wider smile than before tugged on her lips as she imagined the awkward scene that would have ensued Neji's request. Running her hands gently over the petals of the flowers, she relished the feeling of their smoothness against her skin. Plucking a single rose from the mix she touched it to her lips then returned it to the table beside her bed. The two flower offerings, so different, offered her comfort as she gratefully slid into bed, closing her eyes.

A voice made her open them again sometime later. "Sakura?" Sasuke asked from his position on the near bed. Sakura turned painfully to her side, cursing her carelessness this time around when the wound in her shoulder made itself known Sasuke was watching her with his cool black eyes, his hair messier than usual, wearing a familiar pale blue robe.

As she gazed at him a thought occurred to her and she slid from beneath the thin sheets of her bed, her feet landing lightly on the cool tile of the room.

"Where are you going?" Sasuke inquired, his eyes following the movement.

"Got to go make sure someone told Naruto that you were back." She answered, heading towards the door.

Sasuke slid out of bed more smoothly than she'd been able to manage the first time she'd gotten up, and in answer to her unspoken question, he snorted. "You think I'd let someone else tell the dobe I was back?"

Together the two teammates made their way to Naruto's room, avoiding passing nurses, their bare steps light on the floor. Sasuke slid the door open dramatically and strode into the room, where Naruto shot up in surprise. "Sasuke!" The exclamation was somewhat choked by emotion.

Sakura followed in when she was certain that the two boys weren't going to do anything but entertain a dramatic, emotional silence. Naruto turned his head as he heard her enter. "Sakura. Sasuke…he's back!"

"I know." Sakura said wryly.

Naruto looked between the two of them, before his gaze finally settled on Sasuke. "What made you come back?" he asked softly.

"When I went to go find Orochimaru, he wasn't there. I still mean everything I said to you Naruto. I won't take any of it back." Sasuke said defiantly.

"Well that's good. 'Cause I intend to beat you until you change your mind." Naruto returned, though the happiness in his eyes detracted from the seriousness of the threat.

Sakura smiled softly as the balance tipped back to where it should be. "Makes you kind of nostalgic, doesn't it?" Sakura gave a chirp of surprise at the masked figure suddenly leaning beside the door, bright orange book splayed open. But the single eye was not focused on the pages, instead taking in the reunion scene between the two male members of Team Seven.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto enthused when he caught sight of the masked ninja who had served as his mentor.

Kakashi stood up from the wall, his book snapping shut with a click. "So Sasuke, you decided to leave after all. I thought I had convinced you that would be an unwise decision."

Sasuke shifted uneasily, but made no reply. "And Orochimaru wasn't there, huh?"

"That's right. There was no one there. Except Sakura." His declaration accomplished his purpose, shifting the attention on to Sakura and away from him.

"Sakura?" Kakashi asked. "What do you mean?"

"She was waiting there. For me to arrive I guess." Sasuke shrugged his good shoulder, still holding the other stiffly.

"Sakura." Kakashi said sternly. "What is he talking about?"

Sakura sighed. It appeared this was her day for interrogations. "I arrived at Orochimaru's hideout before Sasuke. When he got there, Orochimaru was gone and Sasuke decided to come back to the village."

"That story sounds like it has an awful lot left out." Kakashi said warningly. Instead of blushing or stuttering a reply, Sakura borrowed a Sasuke expression, painting a dead look on her face and meeting Kakashi's eyes squarely, though she squirmed on the inside. It was enough that Tsunade and Sasuke had even an idea what she had done, but she wasn't about to admit to the entirety of the scheme if it could be avoided.

When it became obvious that Sakura wasn't going to answer, Kakashi sighed. "You three. I guess this is as good a time as any to announce it. Team Seven is being temporarily dissolved."

"What?!" The tone and voice differed, but all three of his subordinates gaped at him in surprise and outrage.

"Master Jiraiya has decided to make Naruto his exclusive pupil, because our intelligence suggests that within the next three years, Akatsuki will make another strike. That's where I come in." Kakashi turned his attention to Sasuke. "I'm not Orochimaru, but I can and will train you Sasuke. As punishment for attempting to abandon the Leaf Village, you are under my watch for the next two and a half years. During that time, I will prepare you to face your brother." Dark satisfaction gleamed in Sasuke's eyes.

"What about me Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked.

"I wasn't sure who best to apprentice you to, so I asked for Lady Tsunade's advice. I've made arrangements for Anko Matarashi to take over your training. The Hokage also requested that you see her once you got out of the hospital."

Sakura nodded, satisfied with Kakashi's care, if not with her new mentor. At last Kakashi was recognizing her as an equal to her teammates, even if he didn't take an active interest in her training. "So I won't see Sasuke and Sakura again for two and a half years?" Naruto asked.

"I doubt Sakura will be seeing much of us either. I intend to spend a great deal of time outside the village." Kakashi answered. "But before that, we're going to go one last mission as team seven. Once you three are all discharged, there will be a banquet in a famous hotel near our borders. We will be there providing protection for a few guests that have requested our protection. So rest up." With that last comment he left in a whirl of leaves, leaving his team to stare quietly at each other.

"So, this is it? All that, and Team Seven's still splitting up?" Tears danced at the edge of Naruto's voice and his eyes were suspiciously bright. He pounded futilely on the soft mattress of his bed. "It's not fair!" He declared passionately, staring down at his fisted hands.

Sasuke grunted and avoided eye contact. Sakura, however, had a different response. She chuckled, a low and dark sound. "Naruto, we're ninja. When is life ever fair?" He met her gaze with sad, knowing eyes that had seen far too much for a child his age. "Besides," and she smiled a warm, genuine smile that lit up her eyes and made them sparkle in a way they hadn't for some time, "We have one last mission don't we?"

"Yeah." Naruto responded, a small smile pulling his lips into a semblance of his normal grin. From the corner of her eye Sakura thought she saw Sasuke's lips twitch upward as well. And for a longmoment, Sakura allowed herself to believe that everything was right in her world once again.

A/N: Alright, even though there was no Neji, there was some Sakura/Neji friendship fluff, which was a request. I am under the impression that all those flowers express something like friendship and hope, so don't get too excited. And I managed to have Gaara make an appearance as well. Next chapter will be the mission. I think I'll manage to get it out before I go on break again.


	20. Field of Dreams

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and I rather wish you'd stop inquiring.

A/N: Alright, I'm sure you've been enjoying my updating binge. But that's going to stop for a while, probably within the next few chapters. One, I have finals. Two, I go on break and my home computer won't allow me to upload chapters. So, I apologize for that and claim in advance, no I have not died and I have not abandoned my stories.

Another reason for the delay in between chapters is I have chosen to have Sakura mentored under Anko. I admit I haven't actually seen any of the episodes that involve Anko, so in order to do her justice and keep her in character, I will first watch those and not rely on fanfiction renderings. Now, as to the Tsunade/medic issue that several of my reviewers have broached. Sakura is making a valiant attempt to keep Sasuke satisfied with the power to be found in the Leaf Village. Both Sakura and Naruto training under Sannin would only inspire Sasuke to more jealousy, so she will not study under Tsunade in any formal capacity, at least at this point.

If I've forgotten to address any questions, leave a review or PM me, and I don't feel it'll spoil the plot (like all the questions about Itachi) I'll answer them. So, without further ado, let's return to the plot.

Five Kingdoms for the Dead

-Chapter Twenty-

Field of Dreams

Sakura fell back into a deep slumber from her hospital bed, where she had been strictly ordered to return to by Kakashi-sensei. As she drifted in the pleasant world of dreams, an unpleasant wave of heat signified the arrival of a visitor. Orochimaru's pale visage made itself known in the form of a pale serpent that rose from the bounteous flowers of the verdant green field that she had been reclining in.

His pale face hovered over her own, the dark forked tongue flickering over scaled lips. Sakura sat up, leaving a patch of flattened grass and flowers in her wake. Flower petals fell from her hair, which seemed to be long once again, brushing against her pale pink yukata on their way back to the ground.

The serpent withdrew, then his form shifted until a pale man in a simple crème yukata kneeled in front of her. Sakura cocked her head curiously to the side. This Orochimaru looked younger than the form he usually took, more a man in his teens than in his twenties. When he noticed her inquiring look his familiar voice voiced an answer. "It's because of the transformation. When it's done from the Second Kingdom it puts enormous strain on your body and mind."

"And it wouldn't from any other kingdom?" Sakura asked wryly.

Orochimaru shook his head and his inky black hair followed the motion, until it slithered to a rest on his shoulders. "If you were to descend to the deepest kingdom, you would be able to use Amanozako's chakra freely. Surely you have noticed that while she can influence your emotions, she can't actually lend you power without a total transformation Sakura-chan?"

Sakura pursed her lips thoughtfully as she reviewed her time as a host. While at first Amanozako had tried something, it had seemed more that she was trying to make her more ruthless and willing to use her power. The transformation had been the first time that she had actually used the demon's chakra.

"Is that strange?" she inquired.

"Yes. For the most common type of host, those that house the tailed beasts, they can actually borrow chakra without turning into a demon. You should know that Sakura-chan." He chided gently.

"Yes…Gaara…" Sakura trailed off and idly plucked a daisy to occupy her hands.

"And Naruto."

Sakura shot bolt upright, more flower petals falling from her skirts until there was a swirling pastel shower surrounding her. "Naruto?!"

Orochimaru tsked in disappointment. "Surely you should have guessed Sakura-chan. He's the host of the Kyuubi. The knowledge had been there since Itachi first breached the defenses of your mind with his Tsukiyomi."

Sakura allowed her knees to give out, tumbling her gently back onto the soft grasses beneath her. "But…" There was nothing to say. She should have guessed. Her teammate had always been extraordinary, and there were signs, signs that she should have been aware of. But it was too late now to regret what could have been, so she would simply have to accept.

"You said," she began slowly after some time had passed in the softly scented world of flowers that they sat in, "that I could learn to use Amanozako's chakra freely?"

Orochimaru's golden eyes turned away and he turned to survey to brilliant blue sky above them, where nary a cloud could be seen. "It would not be without cost, of course. But you knew that, Sakura-chan."

"What is the price?"

His cool golden orbs met her own green ones. "You would become the perfect shinobi. Because when you have traveled far enough down that path, when you have unlocked the last kingdom, your soul will be dead."

"Dead…" Sakura pulled her knees up under her chin. "What would that mean?"

"Zabuza and Kakashi have taught you that ninjas are limited by the fact that they are human. If you were to open that last kingdom and discover its secrets, you will have forgotten that. You will be able to use Amanozako's chakra because you would be like a demon yourself. You will no longer be able to feel love and joy, nor anger or sadness. It would be a cold, empty existence, lit only by the fires of the darkest and most twisted emotions."

Sakura shivered, though the paradise they now occupied was warm. "I never, ever want to be like that. Power isn't worth that. The death of my soul…" Another shiver wracked her body, which Orochimaru watched her quietly. "So I have to prevent that. The last kingdom happened when I lost control of my emotions, and it certainly wasn't something I wanted to do. How many kingdoms are there?"

"There are five."

"So I can only afford to open two more." Sakura said. Her gaze turned to the daisy in her hand. With a single move, she freed most of the petals, which floated away on the gently perfumed breeze.

Orochimaru moved from where he said in front of her until he sat at her side. "With each kingdom, the effects of the transformation are reduced and we can hold it for longer periods of time."

"But it brings us closer to destruction."

"Yes." He turned seriously to her. "There is another problem. I once told you that your eyes would only remain green for so long. Because of the transformation, our Mangekyo Sharingan was reactivated. It wasn't only heat damage that caused a blurring of your vision."

"I thought Amanozako corrected the problem with the Sharingan?"

"Only when it has a proper base. Now it operates from your eyes, which are no different from any other person's."

"So what is going to happen?" Sakura's voice was morose as she pillowed her head on her knees.

"Your eyes will begin to change, but they will keep their pigmentation. It will be an internal, structural change at the cellular level. You will be able to active your Mangekyo Sharingan at will, without the danger of losing your eyesight." Orochimaru was unusually reserved as he explained, which said more than anything the turmoil her inner worlds had undergone.

"I don't see how that's a problem." Sakura commented as a flock of butterflies rose from the flowers, brushing velvety wings against her skin.

"Will you be able to resist the temptation of using it? For Sasuke-kun will be most displeased when he discovers exactly how you accomplished that little feat. Why, he might even do something rash and entertaining." Sakura stifled a sigh in the thin fabric covering her knees. Apparently the kind, helpful Orochimaru that sat in fields of flowers was still the slightly evil and twisted inhabitant of her mind.

"I've lived without it for a long time, I think I'll manage." Sakura commented.

Orochimaru turned his head back to the sky. "Someone's trying to wake you. You should go." Sakura nodded in assent, feeling her body begin to fade. When she had completely disappeared, Orochimaru glanced around. "What a boring place." He muttered. Even as he spoke, the ground began to shake and a giant form broke through the earth. Dirt and grass showered in a rain from its pelt, as the great horned goat shook its head, the thousand bladed tails digging great furrows in the idyllic world. A small, sadistic grin grew on Orochimaru's face. "Ah, it begins to grow interesting."

Back on the plane of existence that was commonly known as reality, Sakura found a masked ANBU member at her bedside. "The Hokage wishes to speak to you in her office." Sakura nodded and rose, wondering why Tsunade simply hadn't waited for Sakura to go see her. With a wry twist of her lips, she realized that she probably didn't want to give her any more time to think up plausible excuses. While Tsunade-sama might not interrogate her in the relatively open wards of the hospital, she would have no such reservations within the secured walls of her office.

The masked ANBU didn't speak as they made their way to the Hokage's office. Some kind soul had brought her clothes, so she wasn't forced to make the trip in the thin blue hospital robe. Instead, she wore black training clothes and another black yukata like the one that her transformation had destroyed. The stark color enhanced the continued paleness of her skin, whose color had improved from her staggered return, but was still unhealthily sallow.

Sakura knocked hesitantly on the hard double doors and was rewarded with a brusque, "Come in." The ANBU member didn't follow her as she entered. Once inside the room, her eyes flickered over the familiar surfaces until she ascertained that only the Hokage and herself were in the room.

Clever hazel eyes analyzed her form and were apparently satisfied with what they found. "Sakura Haruno, I suppose you can guess part of the reason I called you here."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama. You were unsatisfied with the details of my encounter with Orochimaru."

The same hazel eyes narrowed. "Exactly. As Orochimaru was once my teammate, I know that he wouldn't simply retreat because an unexpected gennin entered his lair."

Sakura took a deep breath, then provided the Hokage with a play by play account of her battle, leaving out only the source of the chakra that had allowed her to execute the advanced technique. Tsunade sat quietly until she reached the part about the odd reverse seal she had used. She had Sakura explain it in detail twice and even demonstrate the handsigns that had triggered it, recording them all on a fresh scroll. When she had had asked the inevitable question about how she had learned it, Sakura was forced to say that she had developed it on her own. When the stream of questions finally wore down, Sakura was left standing awkwardly while Tsunade glanced over the notes she had written.

Finally the Hokage glanced up. Folding her hands in front of her, she addressed Sakura. "I assume you are aware of the situation that Orochimaru's attacks have left the village in." When Sakura nodded, she continued. "A great deal of our forces were wiped out, which forced us in to an impossible situation. Some of our strongest ninja were eliminated." Her expression grew grave. "You have already been sent on two missions that were done with only a two man team. While it's more efficient, there is a greater risk of casualty for teams like that, which is why those sorts of arrangement is usually left for jounin."

"However, you successfully accomplished both missions impeccably, well within the time frame." Tsunade's gaze caught and held her own. "You have accomplished something that I would never wish on you if it wasn't necessary to rebuild the village's strength as quickly as possible. That is the true reason why Kakashi and Sasuke will be 'training' outside the village. In actuality, they will be using messenger hawks to receive a constant stream of missions."

"But, we aren't here to discuss your teammates. You have managed to impress certain peoples and because of the urgent needs of our village, we are handling this a little differently than we have in the past. You have made the list of potential candidates for the ANBU Black Ops." Sakura made a choked sound of surprise as the Hokage made her announcement. "Normally the council would allow you to proceed to at least chunnin level before doing this, but…At any rate, you won't be alone in this. Neji Hyuuga has also made the list."

"And what will we be doing exactly?" Sakura asked weakly.

"Kakashi made arrangements with Anko to oversee your training, right?" This time she didn't even pause for Sakura to answer. "A special team will be formed, with you, Neji Hyuuga, and a third person under a current ANBU member. I believe Danzou is insisting that it be one of his operatives rounding out the team. This team will complete missions, as well as prepare you to be short-listed for ANBU induction. It means that you willed will be trained by two ruthless taskmasters, but at the end, if you live up to the promise you have shown, you will be assured a spot in the ANBU ranks."

Sakura was speechless with surprise. She couldn't say a word when Tsunade admonished her that this information wasn't to be shared with her team, could barely bow her way out of the room when Tsunade indicated that their interview was over. She slowly made her way in the direction of the hospital, but instead of returning there made her way to the bridge where Team Seven had spent so much time.

_You shouldn't be surprised, Sakura-chan. When it comes to those with strength, the elder's eyes are as sharp as eagles._ Orochimaru's voice broke her silent contemplation of the water moving beneath her.

_They do this sort of thing?_

_They didn't even wait for Itachi Uchiha to hit thirteen before he was inducted in to the ranks of the ANBU._

_And Itachi ended up murdering his whole clan._ Sakura thought snidely in the general direction of whatever dark corner of her mind Orochimaru was lurking in.

_It would be more difficult for you, wouldn't it? The Haruno family is a little bigger than the Uchiha clan, and a great deal more widespread, but I'm sure that you could get them all if you…_

Sakura quickly tuned out Orochimaru's suggestion. Instead she leaped over the railing, allowing herself to land in the water below. It came to her knees and flowed smoothly around the obstruction she presented. _I wish my worries would sweep by so easily,_ she thought sadly.

"Sakura?" The voice startled her a little, but it was familiar enough that she turned calmly to face it rather than jumping.

"Hey, Ino-pig." She greeted the blonde shinobi who was gazing quizzically at her from the bank with a smile.

"Forehead girl, what are you doing?" The extra emphasis added to the last world, the hand on hip stance, all was so familiar to Sakura, yet still so strange. It was as if there was a great gulf of experiences that lay between them, something that Sakura could no longer share with the person who had been her first friend.

"Standing here, what's it look like? Finally went blind from looking at that ugly mug in the mirror?" She taunted.

"Ah, Sakura! You're gonna get it!" Ino roared as she leapt down from the bridge.

A/N: Alright, I didn't actually get to Team Seven's mission. It's coming.


	21. After Time Has Passed

Disclaimer: No, in between this chapter and the last one I have not acquired Naruto, its characters, or its plots.

A/N: Sorry for the enormous delay in between chapters. And I decided that is was time for the time-skip, so there are few years between this chapter and the last one. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed!

Five Kingdoms for the Dead

-Chapter 21-

After Time Has Passed

Sakura knelt on the rough bark of one of the innumerable trees that surrounded the village. Her verdant eyes were concealed as she concentrated on the sounds surrounding her. Most were native to the forest, small animals clattering through last year's dead leaves and the wind playing a gentle refrain among the foliage. Her own breathing was barely a sound even to her own ears and she knew her dark attire wouldn't give away her own position.

Finally she caught the sound she had been anticipating. Not even opening her eyes the sharp coolness of a kunai found its way to her hand and she threw it with deadly accuracy.

Opening her eyes she turned to look at her target. Said target was coolly twirling the deadly weapon around one slim digit and his pale silvery eyes met hers with familiar amusement. "Almost, Haruno." He teased.

One corner of Sakura's lips twitched and she fought to control her sly smirk. One of Neji's dark brows rose in question, which Sakura took as her cue to make a swift sign. "Bang," she whispered.

Neji gave an undignified yelp as the kunai in his hand exploded, filling his hand with painful metal shrapnel. His teasing glance turned into a dark glare. His next "Sakura" was delivered warningly and through clenched teeth.

Sakura obligingly canceled the genjutsu and the illusionary pain disappeared. "What was that?" Neji asked.

"A trick Anko showed me. Usually you have to attach paper tags to kunai if you want them to explode, but if you want to put in more effort you can engrave the symbols directly onto the metal."

Neji gave his hand an experimental shake, as if to test that the pain really had been an illusion. It wouldn't have been the first time Sakura had used double-layered genjutsu after being taken in under the metaphorical dark wings of Anko. "That's a pretty nasty trick."

Sakura nodded. "It only worked because I knew you would catch it. You would have cancelled the genjutsu if you had blocked." Her sly grin could no longer be contained and spread across her face. Her gloating didn't last long and her lips fell into the gentler lines of her smile. "It was pretty bad, huh?"

"Yes, and I won't believe for a second that Anko didn't try it on you a time or two, so you should have known better." Neji's chidings were given in mock disdain, but soon enough he couldn't help but smile back.

Sakura gave a kind of helpless shrug that said without words that he knew her mentor very well indeed.

The open look on Neji's face disappeared as he voiced his next question. "Any word from the rest of your team?"

Sakura's face closed off just as abruptly. The promised mission, the last time Team Seven would have been able to work together before going their separate ways had never materialized. Instead her teammates had disappeared, never even taking the time to say goodbye, though Naruto had been thoughtful enough to leave a note. "None." It had been years since there had been word, at least for her. That was why the word was delivered in the same brisk, cold tone that she reported the most distasteful of her missions.

She was fairly certain everyone was still alive, given that Jiriaya's publisher had sent word that there would be another book in his infamous 'Icha Icha' series released and the missions assigned to Kakashi and Sasuke were all completed.

While they had been off gallivanting around, Sakura herself hadn't been idle. Anko had taken to training her with unholy glee and she had been working with Gai-sensei in her spare time to improve her five-style taijutsu. That went without mentioning her missions and training sessions with the ANBU member who had been introduced to her and Neji as Yamato. Rounding out that four-man squad was a taciturn artist called Sai who reminded her, in appearance at least, of Sasuke.

In the years that had passed she had used Amanozako twice more, but with luck and determination had never descended beyond the Second Kingdom. Despite the time that had passed no one knew of the demon or the personality that called itself Orochimaru. There had been close calls certainly, ones she was sure would expose her, but they had played out in her favor. Sakura thought Tsunade might suspect of favoring various dark and destructive jutsus and she was certain Anko thought her a great deal more malicious than she actually was, but she was willing to let them think that in exchange for keeping her secrets. And Anko would never try to get in her head ever again, which was a bonus really.

Sakura realized she had been standing quite dazedly for too long and shook off her burst of nostalgia. Instead she met the sympathetic eyes of her sparring partner. Neji had aged well, his hair still long and silky-fine, his formal clothes adding dignity to his already impressive stature. In the mirror of her mind Sakura knew her own appearance. Athletic rather than curvaceous, her long pink hair pinned up with senbon. Ribbed sleeveless black turtleneck top, her forehead protector tied loosely around her neck. Standard issue fitted black trousers tucked into knee-length open-toe black boots. Two-section bracers covering her upper arms and forearms, fingerless black gloves protecting her hands. Rather colorless except for the crimson fabric that her forehead protector was attached to, the Fire Country symbols that appeared on the upper section her bracers and a slim crimson sash tied around her waist with the circle crest of the Haruno clan featured at either end.

"So are you ready to spar, or are you going to persist with your tricks?" Neji asked, assuming his ready position.

"You're just mad you fell for it." Sakura didn't bother with a ready position. They both knew that she would be the first to attack. It was a familiar ritual between the two of them, both hand-picked candidates for the next generation of ANBU. Sakura's strikes were quicker and surer than they once were, but Neji was her equal and perhaps her better.

A blow that would have easily shattered his jaw was avoided with a quick twist of his head, shattering the tree trunk that took the blow. His counterblow caught her in the solar plexus, but a quick redirection of her chakra negated the worst of it. A high roundhouse kick was caught and he used his advantage to prod several sensitive nerve centers in her leg. Using her hands she brought her other leg around in a punishing blow that dislocated his shoulder and stopped his painful actions.

Green chakra flaring Sakura ran her hands lightly over her leg until the tiny muscle spasms Neji had induced quieted. Her pause gave her opponent ample opportunity to pop his joint back into place. Neither of them had even flinched. The distance actually favored Sakura, who could better maintain distance combat, but Neji's impenetrable defense had only grown more secure with time and without the use of fatal force Sakura was at a disadvantage.

"There will be a mission this afternoon." Neji told her as he targeted more of her chakra points and nerve centers indiscriminately. At this point he was simply playing, though the speed of his attacks didn't abate.

"Isn't there always?" Sakura returned, attempting to get under his guard with a series of sweeping low kicks, following them immediately with a high kick that clipped his jaw and sent him staggering backwards.

His retaliation was swift rain of kunai that told her he had not appreciated her action. One managed to open a shallow gash along her cheekbone, but she avoided the rest easily by a twisted flip that brought her into the air. What was less easily avoided was Neji himself a moment later. Still in motion from avoiding the kunai Sakura couldn't reverse her momentum fast enough to prevent Neji catching her with one arm, pinning both her arms to her side. The other hand danced along the length of her neck, pinching the sensitive nerves there and temporarily paralyzing the kunoichi.

Now, there were actions she could take using medical jutsu, even if she couldn't move. But both she and Neji knew that he had won this round. The pins and needles sensation of returning feeling alerted her that she could move if she so wished and Sakura took advantage of her proximity to Neji to give him a sound poke in the ribs.

He raised his eyebrow as he took a step back. "What was that for?"

"That was low. You know I hate people messing around my neck." This was a phobia born of a too near association with one of Anko's numerous summons. Anko had thought it was hilarious. Sakura had thought it less so.

"Sorry." Neji really didn't sound all that sorry. Sakura glared at him from underneath lowered brows and saw the beginning hints of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Abandoning shinobi strategies entirely, Sakura pulled a leaf from Naruto's book and simply caught the prodigy in a flying tackle that tumbled them both from their leafy perch.

Shinobi reflexes allowed them both to land easily on their feet and face the older shinobi who had appeared in a whirl of leaves with composure that fairly screamed they would never stoop to something so childish as tackling each other during a serious sparring match. Yamato raised a single brow to impressive heights as he surveyed his sometimes teammates.

"Was there something you needed Yamato-san?" Sakura asked courteously.

"Is there a change in our mission?" Neji's question followed Sakura's closely.

Yamato stayed silent for a moment, observing how much these two shinobi had grown even in the time he had known them. They worked well in tandem, as well as with a full team, and their impressive skills allowed them to complete solo missions with ease. However, with the news he brought they would no longer be the duo that they had slowly become of the years, though Neji had never abandoned his original team.

"Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi, and Jiriaya have returned. They should be entering the gates as we speak." His announcement caused remarkably little reaction. In fact it was an almost suspicious, near ANBU worthy lack of reaction. Sakura open green eyes suddenly became opaque and her upright stance became so stiff it looked as if someone had inserted an iron rod into her spine. Neji's pale eyes only flickered toward his friend and comrade once, but even that was enough for Yamato to read the quickly flitting emotions that were quickly concealed.

"I understand. Will this affect our mission this afternoon?" The question was asked by Sakura in a tone of near uncomfortable formality.

"No. We will leave as scheduled." Seeing the possibility of an uncomfortable situation developing, Yamato took advantage of the silence after his words to perform a teleportation jutsu, leaving to two companions alone.

After Yamato left Neji turned to watch Sakura. She avoided his gaze, instead walking slowly over to the base of a nearby tree. He followed the movement with his eyes, but didn't move to interfere.

_So, they're back. Happy news, is it not Sakura-chan?_ Orochimaru's voice sounded uncomfortably close to her ear. Sakura didn't answer. She was caught between happiness at the return of her friends and black rage at their abandonment.

Of course, Orochimaru knew this, taking advantage of the situation. _Yesss….a terrible disappointment, the way they left. Almost if you weren't quite necessary. But that couldn't be true, right Sakura-chan. They're your friends. And isn't friendship and the bond between comrades what Konoha's all about?_

Aware of Neji's presence Sakura answered only in her mind. _We both know you don't believe any of that,_ she snarled viciously.

_So touchy Sakura-chan!_ Orochimaru laughed, and the sound rankled.

In a moment of briefly uncontrolled black rage Sakura drew on gloved fist back and struck out at the poor tree she had been gazing blankly at. The tree, probably upwards of a hundred years old, was shattered in a vicious instant. As she blankly watched the splinters fall to the ground she tightly leashed her temper, an activity she compared to wrangling an anaconda. It was a fitting metaphor.

Neji's cool, familiar hand appeared on her shoulder. _We could cut it off Sakura-chan. I'm sure it would make you feel better._ Orochimaru sounded irritatingly hopeful about the prospect, which alone was enough to ensure she wouldn't even if she had been tempted. It wasn't Neji she was mad at.

"Feeling better?" he asked.

"Not yet." Sakura muttered darkly.

"Well, I am certain that the elders would be very, very upset if their remaining Uchiha suffered an unfortunate accident or if Kakashi-san was permanently late for his next appointment."

"Telling me it would upset the elders is not the way to discourage me, Neji. You're not helping." Still facing away from him, she could sense his smile.

"Okay. I could just stand and watch as you become the leading cause of deforestation in Konoha." Knowing Neji was attempting to tease her out of her black mood was uplifting, because the genin she had first met would have looked on her with distaste for her loss of control and probably told her it was her destiny to split up with her friends. If he had been anyone else Sakura may have turned and asked for a hug, but no matter how relaxed he may have become in her presence he was still Neji Hyuuga.

Sakura took a deep breath, savoring for a moment the feelings of building rage and aggression. Then she released that same breath, and with it the darkness in her heart lessened for the time being.

She turned to face Neji with a bright smile. "No, we'll save the trees. Let's go see Team Seven."

As she leaped up into the branches, innate mischief made her turn and say, "I'll make it up in sparring practice after we get back."

The distance separating them wasn't enough for her to not her the strangled sound Neji made. Sakura laughed. Her day had suddenly turned a little brighter.

A/N: Okay, that was a little…boring. But it contained some very important character building. As always, please review because I appreciate feedback.


	22. Many Joyous Returns

Disclaimer: If you haven't figured this one out already, I don't know why I even bother.

A/N: Thanks for all your reviews! Sorry it's taking longer to get chapters out, but I have more demanding classes this semester and less free time.

Five Kingdoms for the Dead

-Chapter 22-

Many Joyous Returns

Sakura and Neji's speed was impressive as they raced toward the village, though Sakura wasn't truly certain she wanted to rush this meeting. It was looking to be one of the most awkward meetings she had experienced in her seventeen years of life. As she caught sight of several familiar figures conversing in the middle of the street she stopped where she was, perched on top of an electric pole. Neji came to a halt on a nearby rooftop, waiting patiently for her.

Sakura took advantage of both the physical and emotional distance that separated her from her teammates to study them. Sasuke was much taller now, his genin look faded into black jounin trousers and a black shirt with a familiar high collar, Uchiha crest still displayed prominently on the back. Naruto too had experienced a growth spurt, his familiar orange and blue jumpsuit replaced by similar garments in black and orange. Kakashi and Jiraiya both looked rather unchanged by the experience and they were joined by Tsunade, who looked to be engaging in questioning her former teammate.

"Sakura?" Neji's question was softly asked, but Sakura heard the gentle chiding it concealed. Sakura closed her eyes briefly, knowing that her hesitation was only marking her greatest failing as a ninja. Her emotional control had always been inadequate. When she opened her eyes again she was fairly radiating determination. Without a word to her companion she leaped down into the streets below.

Naruto was admittedly excited. Returning home was always a pleasant feeling and Naruto thought there was a sense of _rightness_ to it, like a bowl of ramen after a hard day of training.

"Hey, Granny Tsunade, where's Sakura?," he demanded eagerly. "I have a bunch of cool new jutsu I wanted to show her." In his opinion it couldn't be too soon for Team Seven to be whole again.

"I sent Yamato to get her when we received word you were coming in, so she should be here soon." The still impressive blond kunoichi surveyed the young ninja before her with fondness, though she didn't miss the way Kakashi's eyes sharpened at hearing the code name for the ANBU agent.

"I'm already here, Tsunade-sama." Sakura's voice came from just behind Naruto and he whirled around.

"Sakura!" Naruto exclaimed, "Wow, you've certainly…changed," he finished uncertainly.

Green eyes that seemed sharper than he remembered met his coolly. "As have you both."

Sasuke didn't greet her as exuberantly, but he nodded in acknowledgement of her presence.

There followed an awkward silence, which Kakashi only broke a few minutes later by snapping his ever-present orange book shut. "When I told the Hokage that we would be returning, she wrote that we would still be in our former team configuration upon our return. That being said, this afternoon there is something I want you to do." Smiling through his mask he produced two jingling bells from a pocket.

Sakura turned to him. "I'm sorry Kakashi-sensei, but I won't be able to attend your test. I have a mission scheduled for this afternoon."

Kakashi blinked, as if the idea of Sakura having a mission without the rest of them was rather unusual. Tsunade quickly intervened. "It's probably best. She'll be back in time for you to hold the test tomorrow afternoon and it will give you time to rest up."

Kakashi agreed to this new arrangement before wandering off. Tsunade and Jiraiya had also disappeared, leaving the remnants of Team Seven to face each other.

Blue, ebony, and emerald met in an awkward clash. Finally Sakura said, "I look forward to seeing how you have improved."

Sasuke smirked, while Naruto beamed. Naruto began to chatter excitedly about his journey, but Sakura excused herself and disappeared. Naruto blinked at the space his friend had vacated. "That was…different," he said confusedly.

Sasuke too was a little baffled at his teammates behavior, but he wasn't about to admit it in front of the idiot. "Probably still angry about how we left."

Naruto looked a little sad at that. "Yeah." For a moment he gazed dejectedly in the direction Sakura had gone, but just as soon he cheered up. "Hey Sasuke-teme, let's go get some ramen."

At a little past noon the next day Sakura was waiting quietly at the training grounds, perched on top the pole Kakashi had tied Naruto to the first time they had done this. Her mission had gone smoothly, as expected. Only Team Seven's mission had seemed to be filled with such drama. There was a part of her that missed that, but there was a greater part that was more fulfilled by teammates who regarded her as a dangerous equal. Sasuke was the next to show up, followed by Naruto. Kakashi actually appeared shortly after that, much to her surprise.

His first action was just as surprising, which was to expose his Sharingan. "All right. I want you to take these bells," he produced said bells from his pouch, "from me. If you want them, you'll have to come at me like you mean to kill me." The words were familiar, as were Naruto's next actions. He struck before Kakashi gave the signal, which produced a pang of nostalgia but also allowed her to observe just how much Naruto's use of shadow clones had improved.

When Kakashi finally gave the signal the three of them disappeared into the surrounding growth. However, Naruto's patience had improved very little, making him strike out again.

_That boy has all the subtlety of a hurricane._ Orochimaru observed dryly. _Are you going to help him out Sakura-chan?_

Sakura was prevented from answering because Kakashi was speaking again. "To make this a little more interesting, why don't we do this?" As he said that he tucked one of the bells back into his pack. "Now there is only one bell. In order to get this one, you'll have to beat both me and your teammates. It'll give me an opportunity to see how you fare against each other." To Sakura it was still obviously a teamwork ploy, but she was in no mood just now to play along and she doubted her teammates were either.

In response to that a flurry of shuriken flew out of the bushes at several points, slicing the replacements that Naruto and Kakashi had called just in time into a thousand wood chips.

Naruto was shouting, but Sakura has ceased paying attention to him. If she was correct, Sasuke and Naruto would focus on each other. That meant her opponents would occupy themselves with each other, leaving Kakashi open for attack from her front.

While that was what her rational side advocated, Sakura herself was torn. Sasuke and Naruto were in the open now, using quite advanced ninja techniques on each other and Kakashi was watching with open amusement. Sakura nearly slithered through the shadows until she was directly behind Kakashi. With speed that had improved with years of training she leaped from her hiding place, bringing her leg down in a punishing kick. At the last moment Kakashi sensed her, ducking just enough to one side to avoid the blow entirely. When her foot encountered ground Sakura had just enough time to smile before the ground rumbled, splitting open in a chasm that threw both Sasuke and Naruto off balance. She didn't even take time to appreciate their shocked expressions, simply slipped one hand into her kunai pouch where nimble fingers identified the ones that had symbols engraved in the metal.

Flicking them carelessly in the direction of her off-balance teammates, she flipped backwards into the tree line. It was just in time too, because as she had expected they had deflected the kunai, which caused them to explode. Normally this wouldn't have been a problem, given that they detonated safely away from their persons, but the chasm she had opened was deep and the pockets of explosive gases that had formerly been trapped beneath the soil hadn't had time to dissipate. It made for an impressive explosion, a roar of flame that covered the training ground.

Sakura used the noise and sound to cover the noise of her impressive speed through the trees. Kakashi was staring at the explosion, somewhat stunned, but not stunned enough to stop him from blocking the kunai she held in her hand. "Sakura, what was that?" he demanded.

"Explosion, Kakashi-san. It happened when flammable elements are exposed to a spark." She kept her face impassive through the ease of long practice.

Kakashi's eyes narrowed. Sakura used what little opening he gave her to strike at him, but Kakashi wasn't the infamous copy-nin for nothing. Each and every one of her attacks were blocked and his stance gave her no openings.

In her head she could feel Orochimaru smirk. _This isn't the kind of attack that is wise to block._

The edges of Sakura's lips twitched upwards. Kakashi felt it immediately when her attack pattern changed. Before she had been using taijutsu with no chakra enhancement, but now his sharingan caught hints of chakra being channeled into her fingers. It wasn't the familiar, overwhelming type of chakra like Tsunade used to give her super-strength, but it's greenish glow indicated there might be a medical element to it. He took the first hit cautiously, but he couldn't detect anything wrong, so their fruitless taijutsu struggled continued on briefly until he noticed his reflexes were slowing.

By the time he had leapt out of range his hands had started to go numb. "I've temporarily paralyzed your nerves with my chakra." Sakura explained casually. A vicious, somewhat-familiar smirk played across her face. "And here's where the real fun begins." Sakura lowered her body into a new stance, one that he remembered vividly from the chunnin exams and the chakra patterns she was molding in her hands became destructive and discordant.

Before he could think of a way to react with both had arms disabled a figure leaped from the cloud of smoke and debris left by the explosion Sakura had caused. It was Naruto, who looked slightly singed, but not too damaged. That condition soon changed as Sakura reversed her direction of attack. Sakura leapt into the air to meet him, and he crossed his arms to brace for her kick.

"No, Naruto! Dodge it!" The shout came from Sasuke, who came up from behind Sakura using his chakra enhanced speed.

"No time." Sakura smirked unpleasantly, bringing her boot clad foot into play against Naruto's defenses. There was a crunch as the bones in Naruto's arms gave and he was slammed backwards into a nearby tree from the force. Of course, a strike that hard was bound to through Sakura back as well, but she used the counter momentum to spin and face Sasuke.

From experience Sakura was able to quickly assess her situation. From what she had seen, Sasuke's speed was superior to hers and he had the advantage of Sharingan and Kakashi's training. This sort of midair fighting put her at a disadvantage, so she chose to let Sasuke strike first. He did so with quickly, with a fire-based jutsu executed at incredible speed. As the flames roared towards Sakura, she took advantage of the moment to create a shadow clone, who leaped out of the way just in time.

Sakura herself returned to her primary target. While her clone created chaos, Sakura took advantage of the situation.

Kakashi was watching grimly as Sakura fought with Sasuke. Her moves were advanced, incredibly improved from the last time he had watched her. And yet there was something a little off, but it took him a moment to figure it out. "Sasuke, it's a shadow clone!"

Sasuke paused momentarily, and the Sakura he had pinned beneath him smirked. The clone brought her hands together in an unfamiliar handsign and then exploded. Sasuke hit a tree hard and slumped at its base, dazed but still conscious. "You…detonated your own clone?," he asked.

"A very nasty, very useful trick." The real Sakura said, where she was currently leaning against the broad trunk of another tree. Her eyes were half-lidded and her posture casual. "By the way," she drawled, "I win." She held up one gloved hand and a single bell dangled from her fingers.

Naruto had regained consciousness by that point and the stress fractures that Sakura had caused were already healing. "But…but that's impossible.," he whined.

Sakura shrugged. "If you say so Naruto."

Kalashi's look was assessing, if pained as his nerves regained their use. "So, what rank are you now Sakura? I had Sasuke take the chunnin exam while we were in Wind country."

"What? Sasuke-teme is a chunnin?" Naruto shouted.

"I"ll be a jounin after the next selection round." Sasuke said impassively.

"I'm jounin, and so is Neji. Kankuro and Temari are jounin too. Everyone else is chunnin by this point."

"Jounin! That's unfair!" Naruto shrieked.

Sasuke had recovered admirably from the shock, and he shot a sly glance at Naruto. "Sounds like you're the only one who's still a genin, dobe."

"Wait, what about Gaara?" Naruto asked.

"Ah, he's Kazekage now." This came from Kakashi.

Naruto did a comic faceplant into the dirt at his feet. A dark aura pervaded the area and incomprehensible murmuring came from the ninja.

"So you're a jounin Sakura?" Sasuke asked.

_I think this is the most interest he has ever shown in me._ Sakura thought to herself.

_Of course. He is interested in anyone with power seemingly greater than his own. I would have thought you had figured this out already, Sakura-chan. Perhaps you're a little slow?_ Orochimaru teased. His tone turned darker. _Maybe we should show him just how much greater our power is._

_That would only serve the purpose of driving him away. I don't like the way we parted, but I can't hate Sasuke. My obsession ran too deep for too long for that. But I'm not as blind as I was, but still, I can't hate him._

_You will learn the taste of hate, Sakura-chan. And you will find it sweet._ There was a cruel promise contained in Orochimaru's words, a foreshadowing of something. Sakura could feel something draw near to her in her heart. It was something whose shape was intimately familiar after fighting it so long. It drew nearest when she destroyed and she knew it could only be one thing. The Third Kingdom.

It wasn't a pleasant something to be thought on, so she turned her attention elsewhere. Sakura sighed wearily and addressed Sasuke's question. "For now at least."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke's questions held genuine curiosity. Sakura looked a little closer at him, something she hadn't bothered to do before. There was something…softer about Sasuke. Like all the cruel edges he had been preparing in order to go to Orochimaru had been done away with by Kakashi.

She felt Orochimaru recoil in her mind at the direction of these thoughts.

_Dull a blade too much and it will no longer be useful to anyone._ He understood her question, unasked even in the depths of her mind before she could contemplate the implications.

_He's not our weapon to be used. He's our friend and I appreciate not getting cut every time I get close._

Orochimaru drifted into sullen silence. Sakura finished weighing the benefits of not telling Sasuke of her current status, but decided in favor of telling. "I'll be inducted into ANBU soon."

Their looks of surprise were worth everything. Surprise robbed Sasuke of his guarded expression, his eyes widening and his mouth opening just the smallest bit. Naruto's look was nearly comic, his eyes popping from his head and his jaw scraping the forest floor. Even Kakashi looked shocked and Sakura took a moment to revel in the feeling.

"Seriously?!" Naruto asked.

"Yeah. Neji's going to be inducted too."

"When did this happen?" Kakashi asked.

"Before you guys left I had a meeting with the Hokage, and she made arrangements for our training. The reason we haven't been inducted before this was political, but Tsunade-sama feels that the situation has resolved itself as much as its going to." Sakura explained. It was almost like lifting a weight off her chest, telling her team the reason she might have to leave them.

"What situation?" Kakashi was certainly being thorough in his questioning.

"Danzou wanted us transferred directly into ROOT for specialized training."

"More like brainwashing." Kakashi muttered.

"Tsunade-sama feels the same way, so she delayed our induction."

Sasuke looked at her, and for once Sakura felt he was actually looking at her, seeing her as a powerful equal. "Then, you'll be leaving us?"

"What?" Naruto interjected. "Sakura would never do that!"

"If she joins ANBU," Sasuke's eyes were still trained steadily on Sakura, "She might not have a choice. Sakura…" his voice trailed off, but it was heavy with something unspoken.

A/N: All right, you've read it. So please review and tell me what you think about it.


	23. The Bitter Cup

Disclaimer: Why am I still saying this at chapter, what is this? Twenty-two? Three? I think you've got the idea.

A/N: All right, I admit the fight scene in the last chapter was short. There are two reasons for this. One, I'm not really all that great at writing fight scenes, especially when I'm pitting Team Seven against each other. Two, Sakura took them by surprise and that beat them quicker than anything. And I made the mistake of saying Sakura was seventeen, when according to the Shippuden timeline she should only be fifteen or sixteen. When I get the time I'll go back and change it, but for now I apologize for the mistake. Sakura is fifteen. Again, thank you for all your comments. So please, read and review with this chapter as well.

Five Kingdoms for the Dead

-Chapter 23-

The Bitter Cup

"Sakura, that isn't true?" Naruto's blue eyes were pleading. Sakura gazed into his cerulean orbs, reading the dreams contained within. Sakura knew that to Naruto, Team Seven was the only family he had ever known, the first bonds he had ever made. This team meant more to him than anything else, and no one else on the team could compare to how dear he held them.

_Would it be beautiful to see his dreams crumble? Or shall we leave him hope? Can we allow his dream to flourish, only to wither when reality draws even with him? _

Sakura frowned mentally. _Are you okay, Orochimaru?_ His tone had been strange and even his voice had sounded a little odd.

Casting her gaze to one side as if she was thinking of her answer, Sakura briefly closed her eyes. It was easy to find herself in the realm of the First Kingdom. While Orochimaru existed in whatever realm she appeared in, Amanozako occupied only the deepest kingdom. Her mental footsteps were quick downed the columned hall. Sakura suspected something was wrong from the moment she entered the dark-lit courtyard. There was no welcome, no unasked for invitations. The table that had borne the game was empty of all but an elaborate silver chalice filled to the brim with discolored blood. Corpses littered the floor, filling in the elaborate pattern that Sakura had never seen so complete.

A dark figure stood on the opposite side of the courtyard where the body of the Third Hokage had once hung. It stood erect, gazing of into the dark abyss beyond the columns. The screams were further distant than she had ever heard them, and they were different: men, women, and children all unfamiliar to her. "Orochimaru?," Sakura said cautiously.

The figure turned slowly to face her. Sakura smothered a gasp of surprise. "It..Itachi?!"

The elegant figure inclined its head. Now that he was facing her Sakura could see obvious differences that she cursed herself for not picking up on. Itachi's long dark hair was bound, something Orochimaru had never done, and he held him more stiffly than the serpent master was wont to do.

"Why are you here?" Sakura didn't feel fear of the infamous nin, not when he was in a place that was her territory in a way the outside world would never be. "Where is Orochimaru?"

Itachi's eyes were obsidian, a shade she had never heard him allowing after leaving Konoha. He blinked, his long, feminine lashes brushing against the elegant curve of his cheekbone. When he opened his eyes again they were the familiar hungry golden orbs. "We are one and the same. Orochimaru was the form you chose to give me, but in truth it is I whose memories create this form." He blinked again , his orbs turning to the crimson blaze of the Sharingan.

"As to why I have appeared, it is because I am drawing near to you." Sakura blinked with confusion at the impossible statement. It took her a moment to decode the cryptic statement.

"You mean your physical body?" Sakura began to wade cautiously through the metallically scented puddles the filled the room. She reached the raised platform that held the table and two chairs. They too were different from when she had last seen them. Where once they looked like corpses turned to wooden form and twisted to form furniture, these were sparse structures with clean lines.

Itachi never seemed to move, yet he was pulling out one of the chairs, pushing it in gently after Sakura had taken the seat. He then seated himself across from her. Sakura was astonished how naturally he blended into this dark palace, especially in his formal blue robes, tiny Uchiha crests screened onto the silk at the hems. Itachi was a dark prince, and he waited with patience for her scrutiny to end.

Finally he spoke, his voice like rough velvet across her senses. It was seductive in a wholly different way than Orochimaru's voice. "Indeed. It would seem that the time has come once again. Akatsuki has once again begun to move. They will come here." If there was something to detract from his beautiful voice, it was the way emotion never seemed to enter in it, like a stream with no stones to obstruct it. Orochimaru was a creature motivated entirely by emotion, primarily greed and the desire to possess all things. Itachi was an absence of emotion.

He met her eyes easily, waiting for questions. "So, you've been here this entire time?"

"Not truly. Memory creates self, but in your mind you gave Orochimaru form and personality. That meant you suppressed me."

"Then, when your real self gets nearer?"

"When you broke my Tsukiyomi, you already know that you pulled a measure of my memories into your subconscious. What you do not know is that in this way you have created a bond of sorts between us."

Sakura was certain she had never paled so quickly in her life. Itachi ran a long hand over the bare table, leaving a tea service in its wake. He poured her a steaming cup, and the soothing scent of mint caressed Sakura's senses. Sakura took a shaky sip, setting the cup back down with a clatter. "You mean…is there a me in Itachi? Can you…he…read my thoughts?"

"No. Nothing that complex. He can only sense the presence of your mind. You will never be able to hide it from him, no matter how hard you try. You bared the entirety of your soul to him in the moment you shattered his jutsu. While he did not understand all of it, it gave him the ability to locate that soul wherever you may wonder." His movements were slow and unhurried as he enjoyed his own cup of tea.

Sakura didn't know whether to feel relief or cry. While it was good that the bond wasn't something that allowed Itachi influence or insight, it would prevent her from ever hunting him. She would never be able to aid Sasuke in his dark task to find closure. And stealth was a valuable ally she couldn't afford to lose, especially against an opponent as terrifying in prowess as Akatsuki.

"There is another reason I have been waiting for you here." Itachi's teacup didn't even make a sound as he set it back on its saucer. With a hand he directed her gaze to the people arrayed around them. Immediately Sakura noticed a detail she had missed on the way in. On every piece of clothing or on some accessory, there was an Uchiha crest.

"The Massacre…" Sakura breathed.

"Yes. There is something you must know about it before you walk any further down the path you now tread. All of this was done in the service of one person, at the orders of one whom you trusted. This is another reason I could not come to you before this moment. Your subconscious was fighting against an ugly truth about something you have always believed in."

Sakura processed this slowly. "What do you mean?"

Itachi's fearsome eyes bored into her own, capturing her. "The Uchiha massacre was done on the orders of the elders of Konoha, with the explicit permission and consent of the Third Hokage."

For a second Sakura's mind froze as she fought against what he was saying. But she was too much of a ninja to deny anything right away. Itachi could not lie to her. Not here. Not in this place. And Itachi believed what he was saying with all of his heart. His soul and his mind resonated with the same cool reassurance of one stating an absolute.

His slim lips opened and his next words pierced through her state of semi-shock. "It was done to protect the one most precious to me. My little brother."

Sakura's world was crumbling on the inside. She could no longer maintain the connection as the world began to shiver. It was a gentler sensation than the first one had been, but she knew this sensation. Another Kingdom approached.

Sakura was carried on a warm scented wind into the darkness, Itachi's presence close to her side. He offered her the chalice, his eyes ebon dark and almost sad.

She knew what he wanted from her. Automatically she brought the cool silver to her lips and the first taste of liquid spilled a warm trail down her throat. At the first touch it was honey sweet, but before it had even reached the back of her throat it became so bitter she wanted to retch. The chalice fell from her nerveless fingers and she doubled over to be sick. A warm hand stopped her, gentle fingers underneath her chin shutting her mouth. The other caught her around the waist, pulling her down into the darkness. They fell backwards together, Itachi underneath her, his mouth near enough her ear to whisper.

"We are they who drink the bitter cup Sakura. That is the nature of truth. Now you will have your own choices to make." His presence faded as the body he was using burst into a million feathers, each raven black but gleaming like precious stoned in the darkness. His voice wrapped around her body in one last whisper. "Beware Madara."

She hit the ground moments later, and an azure sky greeted her eyes when she opened them once more. Sakura sat up in surprise. She was in a familiar place, one she had known before. It was the endless field of wildflowers, the one that smelled sweet as paradise. "This can't be…" she murmured. "Not here, not this place."

The ground not twenty feet away of her ruptured, an enormous black beast pulling itself from the earth. It resembled a ram, but there were too many appendages tipped with claws longer than katanas, too many tails with bone scythes digging furrows in the earth, too many crazed crimson eyes. Clods of dirt fell freely from cruel jaws lined with triple rows of teeth.

"Welcome to the Garden of Ruin, idiot child." Only one voice could ever carry such malice coupled with such glee. Sakura shattered the connection so quickly that even demon reflexes couldn't trap her there.

On the outside very little time had passed and Sakura's features had never deviated from the look of thoughtful scrutiny she had pasted on when she had first attempted to track Orochimaru down. Kakashi had been patiently watching his student, waiting for her answer when an enormous chakra wave pulsed outward from Sakura. Ugly shadows consumed all the life it touched within a three foot radius of Sakura, leaving everything only dead skeletons. The signature itself passed through all three nin in the clearing and Kakashi fought a sudden need to be sick as the awful chakra touched him. It traveled no further than the clearing, vanishing as abruptly as it had never existed.

Sakura eyes flew open and for a moment they seemed to war between crimson, gold, and green. Finally green took precedence, but the pupils remained narrow slits. The kunoichi was breathing hard, as if she had run a marathon and she slunk bonelessly to the ground.

Holding her head in her hands the girl pulled her knees closer to her body. A desperate look had replaced the calm, collected presence of before. "This is bad," she said weakly.

"Sakura!" Naruto lunged forward, but Kakashi caught him by his shoulder.

"What the heck Kakashi? What are you playing at? Let me go!" Naruto struggled fruitlessly in Kakashi's iron grasp.

"Don't." His tone brooked no argument. "Sakura, are you alright?"

"In a matter of speaking." Sakura's hysterics had quickly subsided, but now she was desperately attempting to think of reasons she could give for her outburst.

"That chakra…what was that Sakura? And what's wrong with your eyes?" Sasuke asked.

Sakura cursed the Uchiha and his perceptiveness. There was no poorer moment to attempt to explain this than when she was first reunited with people who had become near strangers to her once again. She dared a glance at Kakashi, but by his look he wasn't going to accept any excuses.

"I'm going to go now." Sakura said, standing up quickly and ignoring the dizzying sensation moving so quickly created. "There are things I have to think about. I'll see you tomorrow." Before Kakashi could think to stop her she disappeared in a cloud of smoke and sakura petals.

The three remaining members of the team exchanged glances and Naruto finally asked the question that they had all been thinking. "What was that?"

The next day found them in the Hokage's office, very early. Naruto was yawning and rubbing his eyes and even Sasuke looked a bit bleary. Kakashi looked as unaffected as he ever did, and to their surprise they had been joined by Temari. Sakura was carefully looking anywhere but at her teammates.

Tsunade fixed them all with a piercing glare. "This morning we received some very disturbing news from the village of Sand. Gaara has been abducted."

There was an outburst from Naruto and Temari, which Tsunade silenced with a wave of her hand. "It appears he has been taken by Akatsuki. I'm dispatching you all to do what you can to bring him back."

Kakashi nodded. "We'll leave immediately." It took only minutes for Team Seven to acquire their supplies and meet back at the gate. The journey to Sand was made in rushed silence, each member lost in their own speculations. They were met at the entrance of Sand by an unfamiliar ninja, but he recognized Temari and hastily explained the situation.

When they had heard him out Sakura spoke. "Take me to Kankuro, I may be able to help."

Sasuke and Naruto looked at her with surprise.

Sakura took the time to explain while they were led toward the compound where the nin was being kept. "I haven't had much formal training as a medic, but I know a thing or two about poisons." For a while she had studied the medical arts from the scrolls of the Third. But then, as time passed, a terrible thing had begun to happen.

While her medical jutsu was just as effective as ever on her own wounds, her chakra began to damage others whenever she tuned it to the specific wavelength needed for healing. Rather than simply leaving burns like it would have if it was simply a problem with the intensity of her chakra, it actively began to break down cells. It didn't take long to determine the cause either. After her first transformation, there was a dark undertone to her chakra. While it couldn't be sensed, its effects could be felt. When she had realized that all she could do was hurt others Sakura had felt hollow inside for a long time. It had been so much that the first mission she had taken after that had seen Amanozako's second emergence. Luckily it had been a solo mission, because there hadn't been a single living thing within a mile that had escaped the destructive glee of Amanozako. It had also been the closest Sakura had ever come to losing herself entirely.

Sakura slid her pack off and passed it to Naruto, examining her patient with her eyes as she went. Luckily poison extraction was one of the few things that remained in her power; otherwise Kankuro would have had severe problems. Ordering the medical personal to fetch the things she would need Sakura bent her mind to the task. She barely noted when another person entered the room, a slight elderly woman with a head of white hair.

Finally she had pulled all the poison she could from Kankuro's bloodstream, but there were trace amounts that had already lodged themselves in his vital organs and begun their work. It was perhaps the most impressive poison she had ever seen, intricate and complex. Sakura forced down a feeling of professional awe for whoever had created the liquid. "Is there a place here where I can find herbs?" Sakura asked.

It was the old woman who answered, looking at her in a speculative manner. "You'll be able to find everything you need in the greenhouses."

The lady, who eventually introduced herself as the Elder Chiyo, led the way to the greenhouses. "You have a very impressive store here. I would have never expected to find so many medicinal herbs here in the desert."

Chiyo looked pleased with the praise offered her village. "We do well with what we have."

Sakura began to collect the different ingredients she would need to concoct an antidote. Chiyo watched her deft movements with great interest. "You seem very familiar with those plants child. I had thought that only that Slug Girl would have any chance of combating a poison like that, but I was proven wrong."

"Ah, well, while I can't say I've had the honor of being taught by Hokage-sama, she left some very detailed scrolls of her medical studies in the keeping of the Third Hokage. I've read a few." Sakura said modestly.

"More than a few, if my eyes don't deceive me." Sakura decided that needed no confirmation. "You're very talented."

"Not really. Chakra control has always been my specialty." Sakura smiled at the elder, who was obviously probing for information. Sakura thought it a little strange, given the treaty that she didn't simply ask outright if she'd had formal training under Tsunade, but Sakura had heard there had been those on the Council who hadn't supported the treaty.

Kankuro began to regain his color soon after the antidote was administered and they left he and Temari to discuss what had led him to the state they had found him in.

Kakashi called his team together after the story began to become clear. "It's as we expected. Akatsuki has taken Gaara. Kankuro was able to identify one of the attackers as Sasori of the Red Sands, and our information points to the other one as a known terrorist bomber named Deidara. We will leave immediately in pursuit."

A voice rang out from down the hall they had gathered in. "I will be coming as well." Chiyo stood there, looking resolute.

A/N: Team Seven, back in action! The Akatsuki arc has slid into motion. But will Team Seven face it's threat divided? Will Sakura leave them for ANBU? Or will she fall under the influence of Root? Find out in future chapters!


	24. Traveler's Revelation

A/N: I am really sorry for the long delay, but some things came up in real life that had to be dealt with. Anyway, the story is up and running again. Comments and reviews are appreciated very much and many thanks for your encouraging reviews during my long absence.

I apoligize for the confusion caused by the sudden changes in points of view. I tried to use horizontal lines to seperate them, but apparently they didn't work. Sorry.

Disclaimer: I own no rights to Naruto, nor do I make profits from this fiction except the happiness that reviews bring.

Five Kingdoms for the Dead

-Chapter 24-

Traveler's Revelation

Even as she watched the reassembled Team Seven leave by way of the reinforced oak doors of her office Tsunade began to make contingency plans. It was not that she didn't have faith in the powers of Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi, or Sakura. She knew their training, their mission statistics. She knew they were capable. However, she was not so certain they were capable of working with each other. The young ninja might be eons more mature than when Naruto and Sasuke had left Konoha, but both she and Jiraiya had observed the latest bell test Kakashi had administered. With its explosive ending, some of the grand, unrealistic hopes she had entertained for them had drifted away into the night air with the thick, poisonous smoke that Sakura had used to defeat her teammates.

Sometimes she worried for that girl. Once a slight, pink-haired airhead by all the reports she had read, the kunoichi had apparently experienced some sort of revelation. For a while, and indeed, she still was a promising young ninja. But now Tsunade watched her with a caution she despised in herself but couldn't help. She had lived too long, been a ninja too long to watch the kind of rise to power Sakura had experienced without caution. There was darkness and rage locked in that disappointed young heart. She had seen flickers of it Sakura had been unable to hide, heard reports of it from Anko, who had taken over responsibility for the young woman's welfare after Kakashi's departure. Tsunade had been careful to make sure her new dedication didn't evolve into an all-consuming obsession with power. Right now Konoha couldn't afford the kind of losses that came from those too promising ninja.

Looking at the mess that masqueraded as her desk she sighed heavily. One day she swore she would once again be able to see the shiny lacquered surface, but today was not to be the day. A pile of old tax statements that Shizune had brought out of archives for some ungodly reason toppled to the floor and covered the tile with yellowed pages as Tsunade pulled out this week's registry. Within the thin book every mission that a team had been sent on were recorded, along with notations about which ninjas were on leave, sick, or otherwise missing, and most importantly for her purposes, all ninja were required to report in and be logged in the registry when they returned to the village.

Still agile fingers flicked through the pages, scanning names and dates, her mind automatically storing new facts about the comings and goings of her ninja. "This things a few days behind, at least," Tsunade muttered under her breath in disgust. "Shizune!" she shouted.

Her out of breath assistant, hair askew, arms piled with bookkeeping appeared a moment later. "Yes, Hokage-sama?"

Tsunade waved the registry threateningly in her direction. "Why is this so far behind?"

Shizune peered at the book, trying to discern what it was that her master was waving so irately. "The register? I thought it had gone missing and you couldn't find it. Remember, I've been keeping track of them in this?" From the stack in her arms she pulled out a nearly identical book to the one Tsunade had in her hands.

"Well, why didn't you say so sooner?"

Wisely Shizune simply handed the book over without complaint, but a deep familiarity with the moods of her master made her ask before turning to go. "Is there something else wrong, Tsunade-sama?"

This time Tsunade's sigh was filled with regret. "I have a feeling something will go terribly wrong with this mission Shizune."

Shizune knew the one thing guaranteed to give her master such certainty. "Did you win at gambling again?"

From the wide middle drawer of her desk Tsunade withdrew the condemning lottery ticket that had cheerfully proclaimed her a winner. For a moment neither of them said a word, caught up in the feeling of awful premonition that always dogged them when Tsunade's famous losing streak turned around. Then Tsunade spoke up, "Is young Neji's team here?"

Shizune didn't even have to check the register. With personalities like Gai and Lee on the team, they were memorable in ways that weren't always favorable. "Hai, Hokage-sama. Shall I summon them?"

"Please do." After her protégé disappeared in a whirl of leaves, Tsunade reached once again into the recesses of her drawer, this time emerging with a bottle. "It's too early in the morning for this," she muttered to the room at large.

As a result, her mood had cleared a little by the time Gai's team had assembled before her. She began speaking without pleasantries. There was no time for such things now. "I'm giving you an identical mission as Team Kakashi. You are to join them in the Sand and see that they complete their assigned task. Understood?"

A resounding affirmative came from the green clad leader and Tsunade took a second to survey the members of Team Gai. Team Seven was given to dramatics in a way that made them impossible to ignore, but in their own way, each of the ninja that served under her were special. Team Gai was no exception. Lee had grown into an almost scarily perfect imitation of his master, still blazing his own path with only taijutsu on his side. Tenten, in her initial interview with Gai, had once said she wanted to be a great kunoichi like Tsunade. All the young gennin's answers had been written down and added to their psychological profile. It helped to train them, shape them, but also to spot any dangerous deviancy. Tenten seemed well on her way. Her hair was still styled in her trademark buns, her outfit feminine but practical, her weapons as numerous and well-sharpened as ever. And if Tsunade wasn't mistaken, she still sometimes made mooneyes at the final member of the team, the prodigy of the Hyuuga family.

Neji was everything a Hokage could want in a ninja. Levelheaded and talented beyond measure, Neji had already advanced his kekkai genkai beyond those many years his senior. He also wasn't too hard on the eyes either, Tsunade thought with a nod of satisfaction. He had grown well. He would be a valuable addition to ANBU. As he might once have said, he seemed fated to join their elite ranks. Her ruminations were cut short after that as Gai turned to his team and announced in a tone filled with heady enthusiasm, "All right everyone! We reach the Sand in a day!"

Never to be outdone Lee returned, "Nay sensei! In half a day!"

X-X-X-X

One of Neji's dark brows rose to meet his forehead protector. "…I thought it took like three days…"

Tenten turned to him. "I thought you'd been there before?"

"Yes, but never traveling with them…" His voice trailed off, but his eyes said he wanted to edge away from his green-clad teammates, who were even now upping the ante, as it were.

Tenten looked in the direction he was staring. "You're right." She snapped at the other two in a voice filled with familiar exasperation, "If you keep talking the whole time, it'll seem like forever…cut it out!" Tenten liked her teammates, even with all their peculiarities, but she had missed Neji. For a while it had seemed like he was always gone, off on some mission with Sakura or the two members of ANBU. She knew and was proud of the talent that had earned him such special consideration, but some days it felt like he was leaving her behind. Sometimes, even though she knew it wasn't really fair, she blamed Sakura for that.

When she was trying to be fairer, she went ahead and blamed Sakura's teammates for leaving. When they had scattered had been the time when Neji had started to drift away. Tenten had devoted herself to training, even more than she had before so that he wouldn't drift out of her reach entirely. She knew that he didn't see her in quite the same light she saw him, though for a time she had entertained hopes. Tenten was enough of a ninja that she had never let it affect relations with either he or Sakura. But she was enough of a girl to think that a ninja with pink hair was ridiculous.

X-X-X-X

"But…! Granny Chiyo!" Temari's protest fell on ears that might as well have been deaf.

The old woman's formerly placid face darkened. "It's been a while since…I've taken care of my adorable grandchild…" Kakashi sighed and scratched his silver hair. In his experience there was no arguing with either the elderly or women. And Chiyo was both.

"All right," he said, silencing any further argument, "let's move out while the scents are still fresh."

X-X-X-X

While Tenten liked to think of herself as a ninja with deep reserves of stamina and energy, she was also a realist. Gai and Lee would drive themselves to the ground running and then fight while unconscious; she had no such illusions about herself. As their feet flew through the trees, she called out. "We've been running all day! We need rest!"

Lee called back as he recklessly launched himself off another branch, "You're out of shape, Tenten." Tenten's eyes narrowed. If there was anything that would keep her running for another few hours, it was a jibe like that. A girl had her pride after all.

On her right Neji made a sound like he had spotted something and in a few moments she spotted it too, the small pug that belonged to Kakashi's ninja dog pack.

"Gai. Wait!" the small dog's deep voice called out.

"Pakkun." Gai said with surprise, signaling his team to drop down onto a particularly thick set of branches. Tenten stopped gratefully, taking full advantage of the interruption to catch her breath. Lee crouched down too, but it was obvious he was simply doing it to be at Pakkun's eyelevel. Her eyes flicked over to where Neji was standing, but he seemed as unaffected as Lee. Tenten grit her teeth in frustration. It was times like this she cursed being a girl. Women simply had less lung capacity than men. There was nothing she could do about that. But that only meant she had to work harder. And she would. No matter what it took. _Neji, Lee, I swear I will never hold you back. I don't want to be left behind. Alone._ As she curled her hands into tight fists within their leather gloves, she meant it. She would become a great kunoichi.

So she let out a last angry breath and straightened. She had been half listening to Pakkun during her internal turmoil, but now she gave him her full attention. "As Kakashi ordered, we eight ninja dogs fanned out in all directions and followed the Akatsuki's scent. And we found out that they were heading to the Land of Rivers, located between Konoha and Suna. That means you guys coming from Konoha heading toward Suna are the closest to the Akatsuki."

"I see…" Lee said thoughtfully. So did Tenten. A mix of exhilaration and fright rushed through her, heightening her senses. It meant there was a chance they'd find Akatsuki before Kakashi's unit. A fight like that would take everything they had, testing the limits of their teamwork. If there were things she had found to be jealous of Sakura for, she had never envied the girl her team, especially after experiencing the antagonistic attitude of the Uchiha. In that she was more jealous of Ino, whose teamwork had basically been bread into her, the trio going back generations. Even their jutsu was designed to compliment each other. This was what she had missed the most, this feeling of absolute unity with her teammates, especially Neji.

But Pakkun was speaking again, giving orders. "Follow me. I'll explain the details on the way."

Gai gave a curt nod in response. "Okay, everyone! Move out!"

Trees gave way to sand beneath their swift feet. For a time Tenten thought they weren't going to run into trouble, but then Pakkun began sniffing the wind.

"What's wrong?" Gai called out.

"Someone's coming!"

Tenten swiftly surveyed their surroundings, but could see nothing. At her back Neji shouted a warning and they all spun to face the rear. Tearing through the earth like a shark through water, an object approached at great speed. They barely had time to leap clear before it crashed into one of the many hills that littered the landscape. When the dust cleared Tenten caught sight of one of the strangest ninjas she had ever seen. The scarlet clouded cloak was unmistakable, but it was the man wearing it that held her attention. The blue tinged skin, the angular, gilled cheekbones, the teeth that were everyone a killing point. But it was the eyes. The cold, fishlike eyes that lit with unholy glee as the man smiled a smile full of blades. Tenten fisted her hands to stop them from shaking. She couldn't tell if it was from fear or anticipation.

X-X-X-X

Sakura was quiet, enjoying this rare moment of unity while it lasted. There was no telling when Kakashi or the others might demand an explanation of her. This was entire mission was a touchy subject for Naruto, given it concerned the biju. And add to that Akatsuki involvement, Sasuke was little more than a ticking time bomb. There was some comfort in the knowledge that she should be able to feel Itachi's presence, but that wasn't enough to satisfy her.

A moment later she blinked in consternation. Did Sasuke even know about the biju? She was certain he knew there was something inside Naruto, something that made him valuable to his brother, but had anyone actually taken the time to tell him what that was? Sakura searched her memory, but a great deal of time had passed since that time. She recalled making some vague promises that he would have another chance at his brother in three years, but that was all. Sakura was furiously thinking about ways to open this conversation when Sasuke took it into his own hands.

"So, Naruto." He placed a disdainful emphasis on the name, like he had since the moment they had become teammates. "How long have you been a target of the Akatsuki?"

Naruto was quite for a moment. "….How should I know? You were there last time."

"Yes, the time when the two members of Akatsuki came to Konoha almost three years ago…and now they've made an appearance in Suna. But I'm still not sure what they want exactly." Kakashi said reflectively.

Sakura absorbed this, none of which was new to her. A thought occurred to her. "Why did they wait almost three years?" She had known with Itachi's certainty that it would be three years, but her internal source of information wasn't exactly forthcoming. It hadn't occurred to her to ask before this.

Kakashi tried to answer her as best he could. "They probably couldn't do anything, not that they just didn't. After all, Naruto was with Lord Jiraiya…"

That sounded weak to Sakura's ears and an incredulous noise from Sasuke told her he was in agreement. "Nothing and no one can stand in Itachi's way when he wants something. Not even a washed up old perv of a Sannin." Sakura's verdant eyes searched Sasuke's. There was still admiration for his brother there, mixed up in all the hatred.

Chiyo's laugh was as dry as the sands of her homeland. "I wouldn't guess about that, boy. But according to my information it seems there were other reasons. Extracting biju sealed in a human body required preparation…they needed the time."

Sasuke's dark eyes narrowed. "What's a biju?"

Chiyo's glance was incredulous. "What?! You're a member of this team and you don't know that…?"

Kakashi's answer was soft and almost apologetic. "In Konoha, information about the Kyubi is absolutely top secret."

Chiyo accepted that answer, but she made her disgust obvious. "Well…that's not surprising…Konoha always liked to pretend it was better than everyone else..."

Sakura cocked her head and reexamined the old women. It appeared this hard land made for hard ninja, who scorned the ease of a life like the one a ninja of Konoha enjoyed, though it was still by no means easy.

The old woman began to speak in the tone of voice that said she had lectured many times to many students. "Biju are tailed beast spirits. From long ago there was Ichibi, the one-tailed spirit of the Sand. Shukaku. The one who was sealed in Gaara." She met each of their eyes in turn. "There are a total of nine biju in this world."

Naruto made a sound of surprise. Sakura felt a pang of sympathy for him. _But now he knows there are others like him out there. Given that its Naruto, he probably feels their common pain binds them all. I wonder if he'll seek them out._

_There will be no time. The hunt has begun once again._ Sakura frowned. She couldn't tell if it was Orochimaru or Itachi who had spoken. It was impossible to tell without entering the kingdoms if Itachi had simply been an anomaly.

Sasuke's low voice drew her attention. "So…that was what that power of yours was. I should have guessed after that fight during the chunnin exam. That's why my brother is hunting you." He looked furious, a look which only increased when he looked at the rest of them. "All of you…all of you knew?"

Naruto looked away. "…Sorry. I thought you'd figured it out after…the Valley of the End."

Sasuke stared hard at him and then with a visible effort released the tension in his shoulders. It didn't leave his eyes. To Sakura, it seemed his eyes lingered accusingly on her longer than the others. _Sorry Sasuke. It wasn't my place._ That was in her head. Her face might as well have been a mask for all the emotion it expressed.

Chiyo picked up the thread of her lecture when the tension began to spill into the silence. She thought silently to herself that while this team felt powerful and capable, they were laws unto themselves. It was yet another thing that made Konoha weak. They fostered delusions about teamwork and cooperation. This team would spend time getting in one another's way in their fumbling teamwork where a team from Sand would accomplish the mission in half the time. "Biju are distinct in character…each of them has a different number of tails. Ichibi means one tail, Nibi is two, up to Kyubi, the nine-tailed fox spirit. Their names represent the number of tails they have." She paused to take a breath and examine her audience.

That accursed White Fang look-alike was looking as placid as was possible. That blond haired loudmouth was actually looking sad and reflective, something she hadn't thought possible. The pink haired girl, now she was a study in blankness. Probably some special forces training in there. That might explain the way they seemed distant from each other for a team from the Village Hidden in the Leaves. "Biju are huge concentrations of chakra. During the era of the Great Wars, every nation's Hidden Village competed for control of them for military purposes. But their power is beyond human understanding and no one could control them. I don't know what the Akatsuki's intentions…but that kind of power is far too dangerous for them to get ahold of. Well….in peace times, things have change. I've heard that the biju have spreand and exist all over the world now." Her lecture spent, silence spread of the reassembled Team Seven, each lost in their own thoughts.

The silence lasted until Kakashi shouted, "Stop, everyone!" It was the panic in his voice that alerted Sakura to the fact that something had gone very, very wrong.

"Itachi!" Sasuke didn't say it, he growled it, more bestial than Naruto influenced by kyuubi's chakra.

Sakura questing eyes were frozen in shock. She had known from the moment their feet touched the earth the one who stood before them. She didn't need Naruto's startled recognition or Sasuke's demonic rage to identify him. But there was something wrong here, something off. She hadn't felt his approach. This was his chakra. That was him standing there, absolute in his confidence. But it wasn't him.

"Itachi! This time I will destroy you!" Electrical chakra was already running the length of Sasuke's arm as he snarled at his last remaining kin.

Itachi's cold crimson eyes barely turned to regard him. "Foolish little brother. The years pass by and yet you never learn. I have no time for you."

Sasuke's dark eyes lit with crimson fire, both metaphorical and with the chakra of his kekkai genkai. "You will make time for me. I will avenge my clan!" He had crouched low, like he was prepared to leap at his brother, but it wasn't like Sasuke to broadcast his moves so openly. Sakura found out his intentions a second later when he plunged his hand into the loose, sandy earth at his feet. A wave of electrified chakra exploded outward in blue, sparking arches at a speed that most ninja would find impossible to dodge. Itachi didn't even try. The hungry sparks hit his body with enough amperage to light the whole of Konoha. All the reward Sasuke earned was a puff of smoke as the shadow clone took the damage. When the smoke cleared, Itachi stood as whole and undamaged as before.

His deep voice still perfectly modulated he remarked casually, "Long time no see…Kakashi…Naruto." His Mangekyo Sharingan eyes ranged over them, taking in the additions to their team. They rested briefly on Chiyo, but when he saw Sakura his stillness changed, becoming brittle. "Hello…Sakura."

"Uchiha…Itachi." Sakura's tone was hesitant, as if the words needed to feel their way over strange terrain. But only Kakashi and Chiyo took note of the strangeness of her tone. Sasuke was incapable of hearing anything but the pounding of blood in his ears he was so enraged and Naruto had something to say himself.

"Who do you think you are?!" Naruto snarled, his voice vibrating with the tension of holding himself back. "You come for me, kidnap Gaara…I'm gonna take you out. Believe it." He said the last two words with the conviction of a judge handing down a death sentence.

Itachi's expression never changed during Naruto's announcement, but as his last harsh words died away into silence Itachi's stance shifted for the first time. He only began to lift his hand, but that alone was enough to alarm Kakashi, who threw out an arm. "Nobody look directly into his eyes, it's dangerous!" he ordered.

Sakura was shaking and she couldn't figure out why. Did she really fear this man that much? Or was it the cause of the revelation she had experienced, the strange intimacy of knowing a part of his story that few others did? She was still unsteady, trying to figure out how to handle the situation, but it didn't matter whether or not the Council had ordered Itachi's actions or not. He was dangerous, even the youngest and stupidest gennin could have told Kakashi that. But it was a mark of how much credit Kakashi gave to Itachi's abilities that he felt the need to warn them. Kakashi was still giving instructions and Chiyo was adding in her knowledge, but it wasn't until Kakashi told him that his ocular jutsu was undefeatable that her attention was caught. Her eyes snapped up to meet Itachi's.

He was looking back at her, his eyes watching her, but he still said, "Well done, Kakashi. You've learned from experiencing Tsukiyomi, the Nightmare Realm, only once. My foolish little brother still hasn't mastered that particular lesson." Sasuke was standing near Sakura, but it still surprised her, the way she could nearly feel the tension coming from him in harsh, ragged waves. He didn't rush his brother, the way she had heard he had last time, but he clenched his fists so tightly blood began to drip from his palms.

Kakashi wasn't finished yet. "But it takes a lot of chakra and it comes at a considerable risk. Tell me Itachi…" Kakashi's hand strayed to his forehead protector, pushing it up to expose his scarred eye, still closed, "how much of your eyesight have you lost?" Itachi jerked at that, his eyes going wide, desperation pouring into them for a single heartbeat.

Kakashi had caught all their attentions, even Sasuke, who took his hate filled gaze off his brother to look at his mentor. Slowly, like it hurt to expose his sensitized eye to the harsh sunlight, Kakashi raised his eyelid. His eternally activated Sharingan looked steadily at his opponent, who had closed his own eyes in silent contemplation.

Itachi opened his eyes again and a silent question passed between the two men. Kakashi's habitually nonchalant posture reasserted itself and he said brightly, "Anyway! I dropped my guard last time. But I learn quickly. I don't make the same mistakes twice."

At his side the snarl that had twisted Naruto's lips in anger softened into a kind of wry grin. "And if you think I'm the same as before you're making a big mistake!"

"Get back, both of you." Sasuke said. "The only one here who is going to fight Itachi is me. If I have to go through you to do it, I don't care. Just stay out of my way." His voice was frenzied and as Sakura watched, the twisting and ugly flames of Orochimaru's curse mark began to crawl up his face.

Sasuke made to rush the person who had caused him so much suffering, his speed near unmatchable. But even as he took his first step toward Itachi a grip like iron enclosed his upper arm and yanked him backward with such force he was thrown into a tree in the forest behind them. Slightly dazed and wholly infuriated he whipped his head up to meet the stare of his attacker.

Except his attacker wasn't even looking at him. Kakashi, Naruto, and the old woman were all staring incredulously at Sakura, who was standing in profile to him, her eyes thrown into shadow behind the veil of overgrown bangs. She spoke slowly, like she was speaking to a child, her every word enunciated clearly so there was no mistaking her. "Can you tell me Sasuke, why Itachi killed your clan that night?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" he snarled and began to claw his way up from the ground. Sakura's gaze snapped up to meet his and what he saw in them froze him more effectively than any jutsu. He had attributed it to imagination before, but there was no mistaking those eyes. They were the mirror image of his, except in them he saw a reflection of his brother's eyes, cold and frozen. His Sharingan ran the crimson of blood and hatred, but the eyes that looked at him were black as death, their tomoe the same poisonous green as the thin line that separated the pupil from the iris.

"Sasuke Uchiha, why did your brother massacre your family?" Her voice had become cold, impersonal, just like her eyes.

Something compelled him to answer. "He said he did it to test the depths of his capacity for destruction."

"And you believed him without question." Sakura tilted her held to one side to look at him, never releasing him from that stare. "You really are a foolish little boy."

"Sakura!" Naruto protested, rushing between them to intervene. He too froze at the sight her eyes. They looked so wrong, so out of place on the image of Sakura that he still kept in his head. "…Sakura…" The second came as a whispered plea that asked for explanation.

"Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, what's wrong?" Kakashi inquired urgently, never letting his eyes leave Itachi's form. This was neither the time nor place for dramatics.

"Nothing at all Kakashi." It was Sakura who answered. She turned to look at him briefly as she answered and he too froze in shock. But Sakura's attention had returned to the dangerous member of Akatsuki standing in their midst.

Once again Itachi's expressionless mask was broken, his eyes going wide. "So this is what came of it." His equilibrium corrected itself quickly, the placid lines of his mask falling into place. He was an almost perfect ninja, Sakura thought to herself. Perhaps that was what had etched the fatigue lines so deeply into his face. To be a ninja and to be human were sometimes very different things. The war between their training and their emotions was a part of the reason ninjas burned out early, went mad, gave into the need for drink or drugs to make their crazed life make sense again. And then you had the ones like Itachi, who after a time simply gave up trying to be human. But it wasn't that they no longer felt. Their emotions simply ran deep beneath the surface.

She said nothing, simply met his eyes, no longer trying to puzzle out the situation. Amanozako's dark chakra rose and fell in a tempting pulse just slower than her own heartbeat. The dark emotions of this meeting were raising the demon's excitement to a fever pitch. Itachi spoke, but it was getting harder to hear him. Sakura tried, anchoring herself. "You are wrong Kakashi. It does have something to do with defeating genjutsu. But only a little. Isn't that right Sakura?"

Kakashi glanced between his former student and Itachi. "What are you talking about?"

"There is one person who has broken out of Tsukiyomi. Sakura Haruno."

"How?" Sasuke demanded. It was something unheard of, for anyone to be able to do such a thing.

"I stole his eyes." Sakura said dully. "My madness reached out and took them from that nightmare world and it shattered into pieces."

"I don't understand." Naruto said, now quite confused and still more than a little angry.

"Your student was at worst an undiagnosed schizophrenic, at best the possessor of an unknown kekkai genkai. Though if it was the latter, I imagine you destroyed it by your actions." Itachi spoke about it quite calmly, as though he had spent time since their encounter trying to puzzle out what weakness she had broken through.

"Sakura…" For a moment Sasuke forgot to hate his brother, his expression intent on finding answers.

"Not now Sasuke. We don't have time for your revenge now, nor for questions. I promise to you I will answer anything you wish, but now Gaara's life hangs in the balance. And this thing," her face twisted with disgust as she pronounced the word, "isn't even Itachi. It took me a while, but now I can see through it. Clever, but not clever enough." Faster than any eye that wasn't Sharingan enhanced could follow, Sakura moved. Within the space of a heartbeat she was standing in front the thing that pretended to be Itachi, her hand gliding into place over its heart. And with a feeling of twisted relief, she poured a measure of Amanozako's chakra through the connection.

It was hungry and destructive, snaking out with lightning quickness. With simply that touch, the heart still beating beneath the bone and blood stopped and decay began to spread through the body. As it fell to the ground, the corpse's true nature was revealed.

"That's Yura…he's a jonin from our village…" Chiyo said angrily.

"Hidden Sand? How can this be?" Kakashi asked.

"I don't know." Chiyo said darkly. But she had her suspicions that they would soon find out.

A/N: That was actually a pretty long chapter for me. But the story's moving again, albeit slowly. So please review. Criticism is welcome, praise is appreciated. And if you have ideas about what you want to see in the coming chapters, feel free to send them. At any rate, thanks for reading.


	25. Inquisition

A/N: And we arrive at yet another installment of Five Kingdoms, this time with no several months wait in between. I can't promise weekly updates until I go back to college and return to the Land of Real Internet Connections, but I'll try my best to never go so long between updates again. On another note it might be a while until Fallen Night is updated, for all the readers who are also following that story. I haven't been quite been able to pick up the thread of dark humor in it again yet and my tries to date have been horrifying, so please just bear with me. Thanks for all the reviews, they make me very happy.

Disclaimer: I make no claim to the Naruto franchise nor do I profit by it.

Five Kingdoms for the Dead

-Chapter 25-

Inquisition

Itachi was aware of his physical body. He could feel the heat of the sun staring judgmentally at him from a cloudless sky above him, its rays intensified into a physical mirage of wavering heatwaves by virtue of being reflected back at him by the bare, sandy plateau on which he and Kisame perched. He could feel the wind, unhindered by anything to serve as a windbreak pawing at his cloak and causing his long hair to flutter fitfully, as if was dissatisfied by being so constrained. The earth beneath him was solid enough it was something he could ground himself too, yet giving enough that it didn't put unnecessary strain on his unmoving body.

Itachi was aware of the continuous, dull pain that accompanied his psychical form, the corporeal husk that housed his spirit. Dying was often a painful thing and Uchiha Itachi had been dying a very long time. It was a measure of his skill and prowess that he was still so feared, still so capable in the decomposing shell that he called a body. His muscles, joints, and ligaments ached continually where infection, abuse, and as his condition progressed, malnourishment, had taken their toll. With each shallow breath he could feel the liquid in his lungs making it harder and harder for his body to acquire the needed oxygen. It slowed him, dulled his reflexes. And always, always the burning, gnawing pain that was slowly devouring his sight and like sluggish fire tore at his entire chakra system. Such was the price for the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan. To use its dark fire was to cry tears of black blood.

But this was the path Itachi had chosen. His punishment handed down from the Higher Powers, no doubt decided by the vengeful spirits of his ancestors. The price of choosing between his clan and his village, the cost to save the thing that meant most in the world to him. So no living being would ever hear from his lips a word of protest, no one would ever know what agony it was sometimes to simply take a step. He wasn't dead quite yet and he was an Uchiha still, which meant he had his pride. And of all the Uchiha, he was Uchiha Itachi, which meant that no matter how much his body disintegrated, it would only stop where and when he chose. Such was the force of his will.

But all these things he could feel only at a distance now, like time had stood still for him. For now, though he had his eyes closed, he could see the clearest image he had experienced in years, every line crisp rather than blurred, the colors sharp and distinct rather than burned looking. It took up his entire field of vision, engulfing him, plunging him into a world where everything he saw was that haunting Sharingan, dark as death, green as poison. It inspired several emotions in him: curiosity, intrigue, and in some strange way a deep sense of connection, like these eyes were the ones that saw him most completely, knew him most absolutely.

The numbness of this place was almost too welcome, but when he caught the first hint of the scent, he realized that every experience of this place was heightened, just as his sight had been. When he was young, before the rain of blood had become a flood that washed away all his precious ones, he had gone faithfully every year to view the sakura blossoms with his family. None of the memories of those times were perfect, not nearly so, but they were of distant, better times. Those memories made the scent easily recognizable and his amplified senses made it into an almost physical thing. It seemed to reach out and caress him, the softness of the petals, the smooth, veined texture of the leaves, and the roughness of the bark. The scent was sweet; carrying with it a hint of the freshness of dew, but underneath it all ran the dark undertone of decay. Itachi made no claims to being a poet, but he knew much of the appeal of the sakura blossom came from the shortness of its life, its imminent decay making the sweetness of its scent all that more urgent and immediate.

From the corner of his metaphysical eye he caught sight of movement. Long, candyfloss strands of hair in that improbable color were caught in an imaginary breeze. He knew whose hair it was, though he could not see her as of yet, but he could feel her here. Just as he had been able to sense her lifeforce for all these months, blooming like a silent flower in the back of his mind, encroaching on the corners of his consciousness. Itachi thought the scent of the sakura blossoms must belong to her, but then that breeze that wasn't came again and he caught the scent that hung on the too-pretty hair. A smell that was sharp and metallic, with undertones of salt and fear. He knew it well. It was the scent he imagined all ninjas carried with them. The smell of their weapons newly sharpened. The scent of blood freshly spilled. And drenching them like some unholy shower, the fear of their enemies. Sprung from his subconscious it was made real in this place.

There was only one type of genjutsu that he knew of that could make every experience seem so real. His own Tsukiyomi. His mind followed that to its logical conclusion and his mind whispered, "The Mangekyo…" His silent thought sounded loud into the stillness.

"Yes." Itachi's eyes flickered to the fore, where out of the dark center of the eye a figure was emerging. He knew it to be her before it ever came close enough for him to make out its features. Her feet were bare, her hair falling unchecked in a pastel waterfall to her waist. She wore a white kimono, beautifully and delicately embroidered with the flowers of her namesake. Sakura. "Yes," she affirmed again. Soft, leaf green eyes peered into his own like they could see right into his soul. Perhaps in this place she could. She laughed at that, like crystal chimes blowing in a softly scented breeze.

Itachi's eyes narrowed. This person was at odds with the one he had so recently faced. That one had been a kunoichi to her core, as cold and unforgiving as a kunai. This Sakura tilted her head and laughed at him again. "Don't we all have different parts of ourselves, Itachi-san? Masks we wear in the company of others and masks that we sometimes have put on so we can stand our own company through the dark hours of the night? Faces we show and hide to those that love us, those that hate us, those that fear us." She lifted up one overlong kimono sleeve, seeming to examine the exquisite fabric. "This is the part of me that would have had you for a brother-in-law, had things been different." Her eyes met his once again, their verdant depths saddened by some thought. "This mask is one that will never see the light of day. I don't think it would have survived long in any case. There would have been a part of me that would never be satisfied with just being somebody's wife, somebody's mother."

_The clan would have broken your spirit._ As he had suspected, there was no need for him to speak, simply to think. The lady before him nodded sadly. _But the clan is gone now. I killed them all._

The lady before him gave him that look again, the one that said there was not one of his secrets that was safe from her gaze. "You killed them out here," she said, gesturing with her hands to indicate the space around her. "But not in here," one of her hands moved to touch softly at her temple, "nor in here." Her other hands was brought to rest over her heart. "For you, Itachi, the clan is still alive. You are as trapped as you have ever been. Only now they have finally managed to do the one thing that you feared the most. They have come between you and your brother and you can find no way to heal the breech."

There was no point in lying. And Itachi didn't do pointless things. He had neither the time nor the energy left. _Sasuke has no need of me. All he needs is the strength to continue on his own path. And I will give that strength to him. His hatred of me will see to it._

Sakura blinked softly. There had been ferocity in that thought and it had translated into his words. "All his hatred is doing is destroying him. He isn't as strong as you Itachi. He is soft in ways you left behind long ago. In time that will make him a greater ninja than you. Not a stronger one, but a greater one. But for now he is being consumed by the blackness in his heart. You'll make him the monster that you pretended to be. Is that really what you want?"

_I have already become that monster. The monster he chases is real, the crimes he would seek to avenge, fact. _His "voice" was even and measured once again.

A small smile tugged at the corners of pink lips. She had noticed his avoidance, knew he was thinking on her words. "Sasuke-kun isn't going to avenge anyone. All he wants is revenge. And in that there is a world of difference. He's been chasing you too long Itachi-san. He looked into the abyss and it devoured him whole. But he still loves you very much. We can only hate those we love."

_And what of you? Do you still love him? Tell me, who did you kill to receive your Mangekyo Sharingan? We both know the price of it. Are we both monsters then?_

Sakura's expression turned thoughtful, her pink brows furrowing in concentration. "I cannot answer your first question," she responded at last. "Our paths have wandered far from each other. Neither of us are the people we once were. I know longer know if there is anything left of the boy I loved. Maybe I never loved him at all. Who is to say? I thought I did and for now that is all that matters." Her inward seeking expression relaxed and she returned her attention to him. "And as for your others, you have already answered your second question. I killed the person closest to me. My best friend."

_Both of your teammates seemed remarkably alive last I saw them. There has been no word of any disappearances among the ninja of your generation. _Given that he didn't really have a body in this place, all his emotions had to be found in his words. These words expressed a raised eyebrow perhaps, or some other small gesture of curiosity. It didn't matter. This Sakura, real or imagined, responded as if he really had a body to express body language with.

Her expression saddened again. "You are a remarkably unselfish person Itachi. For sake of loyalty to your village you would kill everyone close to you, asking only one life be spared in return. Isolated by your strength, you still found people to be close to. Isolated by my own weakness, for a long time there was only one person I could call "friend". And that was me."

Itachi was perplexed by her statement and said as much. _I'm afraid I don't understand._

This strange, soft Sakura stared off into the dark nothingness that surrounded her. "I killed myself Itachi. Remember," as she turned to look back at him, there was a shift in her, one displayed by the fiery eyes that looked nothing like the ones he had faced a moment ago. "You faced both of us once. It's as you said to Kakashi-sensei."

Understanding dawned on him. His surmise had been correct then, which came as no surprise. But only in part. He had felt the strange second presence, had figured out how she had escaped the clutches of Tsukiyomi, but he hadn't known that there would be such a complete separation in her mind that she would be able to destroy one part of herself. He knew she heard it, but he couldn't stop the thought that this little girl had been ill indeed.

Sakura snorted incredulously. She reached behind her and tugged out the butterfly knot that her obi was tied in, letting the thick band of silk fall to the ground. Sakura proceeded to shrug off the kimono, under which she was wearing the standard grey body armor and black outfit of the ANBU black ops. The silky fabric pooled at her feet and she impatiently kicked it to the side with a booted toe.

"That really means a lot, coming from you Itachi. I mean, really. Touched."

Itachi was not one to be thrown, but her drastic change of attitude was astounded. Even her speech pattern had changed. Sakura shrugged then, seemingly ignoring him. "You're probably right. But for me, it was normal. An imaginary friend at first after I entered the Academy. No clan, no looks, no talent. It didn't make me many friends, so I made up someone who could say the things I was always afraid to. But you're not here to hear my life story." This Sakura wasn't content to stand still, instead wandering around the space, examining invisible walls like she could make sense of them. "When I broke out of that genjutsu, I broke something in here." She turned her head to face him, jabbing a finger violently towards her skull to emphasize her point. "It's not like Kakashi's eye, 'cause that's like borrowing the Sharingan. I tried to steal it and it was killing me for it."

When she didn't speak again Itachi prompted, _So then?_

"It didn't." she said dryly, turning to face him again. She sighed, turning her face heavenward, as if she could see some sky in this prison of the mind. When she looked at him again the burning light of her eyes had gone dark. "I became a monster to keep my life. Between the two of us, I know which of us is the real monster here. And it's not you."

Never breaking eye contact with him, she passed a long fingered hand over her face. But it wasn't her looking at him anymore. He recognized this one too, the sallow skin, the teasing yellow eyes, and he tried not to let his mind flinch in disgust. "Isn't that right, Itachi-kun?" A smile that was somehow both predatory and playful spread across the thing had Orochimaru's appearance. "You know, you really should try talking to your brother without breaking his arm. It's so sad when families fight." The tone was mocking, as well it should be. Itachi was well aware of the real Orochimaru's opinion on the matter. A sallow hand flickered in front of the still smiling face and suddenly it was as if he was looking in a mirror. "The clan must protect one another. Especially in times such as these."

A stiff breeze blew the illusion away and once again he was faced with the dead-eyed Sakura. "Monster. That's what he is. It's what I what I will become. And then all that will stand between him and your precious little brother is you. If you want to be in any condition to protect what is precious to you, come to me. I won't remember this conversation, but I'm not too far gone to be reasoned with. Try to make peace with your brother. Don't let him bring shame to the name of the clan."

_Who? Who is a monster? Who is after Sasuke? _ Itachi asked, though he was fairly certain to whom she referred. Not a minor predator like Orochimaru, but another…

Suddenly blazing crimson eyes stared at him with such intensity he thought he would catch fire from it, emerald nowhere to be seen. Human features melted away, replaced by gnashing teeth, claw-tipped hands, birdlike talons instead of feet. The space was awash with loose black feathers, tattered and smelling of decay. A last human scream came as the figure before him was driven to her knees, bony wings thrusting themselves forcefully through the flesh of the girl's back. What looked at him now wasn't human at all. _**Uchiha Madara!**_ It roared at him, sounding against his brain like someone had used the Nightmare Realm against him. Black fire as hot and hungry as any created by Amatseru consumed him, severing the connection that had been forged between him and the kunoichi.

"…Itachi. Itachi!" The voice sounded as if was coming from the other side of a wall of cement, but he forced himself to identify it. Kisame. The extraction.

"Yes, Kisame?" To him it sounded like there was something off with his voice, but Kisame apparently didn't notice.

"Man, just answer me next time," his partner grumbled. "You're done too, huh?"

Itachi refocused his mind on his current objective. He would have to meditate over the message that illusion had brought him, but now was not the time. For now, only the mission. "Yes…I'm out of chakra, but it was enough to delay them." Yes, he acknowledged, they had delayed them enough that they wouldn't be able to reach their friend in time. When they arrived the young jinchuriki would be dead by their hands. Not a monster indeed.

X-X-X-X

Even though the Itachi clone had disappeared, leaving only the Sand jonin in its place, Sakura's companions were still staring at the place where he had disappeared. Namely because that was where she was currently standing. She hadn't bothered to deactivate her Sharingan so there expressions were clear to her in every minute detail. It was the first time she had used it so casually, or at all for that matter. Avoiding using it meant that she didn't develop a dependence on the advantage it offered to her. It also meant avoiding that expression on Sasuke's face. But now was not the time for a heart-to-heart. There was a mission and the mission came first.

"I promise to answer your questions." She repeated her earlier declaration in case it hadn't penetrated their haze of shock. "But that was only a clone. The real Itachi couldn't be bothered to come say hello, so that means they've probably already started whatever they're doing to Gaara."

"Extraction." Chiyo muttered. Sakura and the others turned their attention to the old women, who shifted. "It's probable that they're trying to create a new jinchuriki with Shukaka."

"What will happen to Gaara?" Naruto asked urgently. His eyes blazed when Chiyo didn't answer. That silence was answer enough.

"Explain on the way Chiyo-san. We have to move out." Kakashi ordered, taking back control of the unit. Chiyo obliged, explaining the history of the jinchuriki and the conflicts they had caused or ended as the Konoha ninja's quick feet traversed miles of terrain. At nightfall Kakashi called a break when they reached a stand of trees. In quick, efficient silence they spread blankets and kindled a fire, taking the time to consume the rations and water they had brought with them.

Sakura had deactivated her Sharingan earlier, the excuse she gave herself when she didn't see Sasuke before he had pinned her painfully to a tree. He was using his greater body mass against her, his lean height seeming to loom in the dark. "I think it's about time we got some answers Sakura." Sakura scowled at the invasion of her personal space. "Sakura," he intoned warningly.

"I said I'd answer you. I didn't say I'd cuddle afterwards," she retorted bitingly.

Sasuke glared at her darkly, but he did step back and give her space. Naruto was sitting cross-legged on the blankets he'd thrown carelessly down earlier, staring at them. Kakashi and Chiyo were being more discrete in their attentions, but Sakura had been partnered with Hyuuga Neji long enough she knew when people were staring even if they weren't looking. With a sigh Sakura returned to her own space. Sitting around a campfire during a mission always made her remember fond memories, but not this time. "What is it you need to ask me?" she asked, finally accepting that there was no way they'd just let it go.

"Itachi. Why does he know you?" That was what Sasuke's tightly controlled voice asked her, but she heard a younger voice asking, _Why didn't he acknowledge me?_ _Why you?_

Sakura stared into the darkness beyond the fire, never looking directly at the dancing flames so as not to ruin her night vision. "You are aware, of course, of the last time your brother came to Konoha." She felt rather than saw his nod of acknowledgment. "That was the first time I met him. I'd gone looking for Kakashi-sensei. But when I found him, he was already fighting Itachi and his partner. Kisame. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time." Sakura shrugged carelessly, as if that coincidence hadn't changed the course of her life. "Itachi used his Tsukiyomi, the Nightmare World, and I was close enough that I was caught in it."

"So was I, but being caught off guard by Uchiha Itachi doesn't usually end up in the acquisition of a Sharingan. Last time I checked, the most common symptoms of meeting Itachi in his genjutsu are madness or death." Kakashi imparted dryly.

Sakura didn't bother even trying to meet his eye. "Tsukiyomi doesn't…or didn't at least, work on me."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. Sakura knew that this was another point of interest to him, seeing if there was a weakness to his brother's jutsu he could exploit. "Why?"

"For the same reason that Ino's Mind Transfer jutsu failed. It wasn't that she didn't have enough chakra. That's not giving her enough credit. She knew exactly how much chakra she needed to close the jaws of her trap when she set it. But there are just some things she wasn't prepared for." Sakura drew her knees in close to her chest for the comfort. "I'm not…wasn't all there."

Naruto looked confused. "All where, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura tapped her fingers to her forehead impatiently. This was difficult, but there didn't seem to be another way to say it. "My mind, for a very long time, has been…splintered. There were two of me and Ino only subdued one."

She watched them this time for their expressions. Naruto's jaw had dropped slightly and Sasuke's eyes were widened in surprise. Chiyo was sitting too far into the darkness for her to make out her expression clearly. It was Kakashi who was looking equal parts of thoughtful and disturbed. "So that was what he meant. Undiagnosed schizophrenia. A splinter personality able to disrupt any genjutsu or attempt from an outside source to control chakra. It would be a fearsome skill if developed. It might well be the development of a new kekkai genkai."

"Well, we'll never know about that." Sakura said softly. "The Tsukiyomi, when it broke, didn't just disappear like a normal genjutsu."

"That's because it's not a normal genjutsu. It's on a whole different level. I'm just surprised you were able to dispel it." Sasuke's faith in his brother's jutsu was endearing, but it might have contributed to his continued inability to face his brother without getting squashed like a bug.

"I didn't dispel it." Sakura contradicted him.

"Then what did you do, girl? There are only two ways to get rid of a genjutsu once you're trapped in it." Chiyo's voice said the old woman was interested.

"I tried to copy it." That caused a general uproar from all sides of the fire.

"Are you crazy?!" Sasuke roared, nearly launched himself into the fire from the strength of his outburst. "The Tsukiyomi is a technique generated by the Sharingan. You can't copy a kekkai genkai!"

"Forget that! You tried to copy something that a psychopath like that Uchiha did to you?" Naruto shouted. "How do you even copy something like that anyway?" he finished in bewilderment.

Shasta raised and lowered a shoulder in a parody of a shrug. "In all honesty, it made sense at the time. When the…other me…was there, I could kinda see the chakra patterns. So I tried to duplicate them…" Sakura's voice trailed off as she tried to find a better way to explain the actions she had taken, but in all honesty, that was pretty much it. She had been frightened, desperate, filled with the reckless courage of Inner Sakura.

"That was very foolish Sakura." Kakashi chided none too gently.

Sakura was set to agree, but Naruto burst out in her defense, "Hey, it worked, didn't it?" He turned to her and his voice turned questioning. "Didn't it?"

"In a manner of speaking. The Tsukiyomi broke but…" Sakura shook her head to rid herself of the memory of that first encounter with Amanozako. This questioning was difficult, but it was also a relief, to know that someone else would know. Sakura bowed her head at that thought. _Once this is over, the next time I see him, I'll tell Neji. He of all people deserves to know._ Making that promise to herself she picked up her line of thought and began to speak again. "The Sharingan is a kekkai genkai. Hereditary. Uchiha are born with extra chakra passages, deeper chakra reserves, and a different kind of chakra." She watched as Sasuke nodded in confirmation as she noted each point. "Without these…"

"What?" Naruto prodded gently when her voice trailed off.

Sakura took a deep breath. "Without these the Sharingan will kill the bearer."

"What?! But Kakashi-sensei…" Naruto's startled exclamation was cut off by Kakashi, who was now focusing intently on Sakura.

"My Sharingan was a gift from an Uchiha who had already developed it. Even then it's a strain on my body to use. That's why I don't use it often and I'm tired afterward. And my chakra reserves are deeper than Sakura's." Kakashi explained.

"So what did you do Sakura?" Only Sasuke would make it sound like an accusation instead of a question. Sakura supposed it made sense. After all, to him it would almost seem like she had stolen the secrets of his clan.

"I made a deal."

"Deal?"

"The Third Hokage left me some…things before he left. Among them was a scroll box. But there wasn't a scroll inside…" Sakura trailed off but quickly resumed before the others could interrupt. "I was caught, trapped inside my own mind. The other me, she was there and she told me what was happening. That we were being destroyed. But she said there was a way to stop it. If we had a source of chakra that the Sharingan could draw on, it would stop. I had to make a choice." Sakura stared at them all, daring them to judge her. "Inside that scroll box there was a demon. A massive gathering of chakra, but not a biju. With the sacrifice of that other Sakura, it could be attracted to us."

"So you…sacrificed you?" Naruto was obviously trying to process what she was telling him and Sakura's heart warmed. Naruto wasn't judging her, not at all.

"Yeah. That counted as my sacrifice, so I got the Mangekyo Sharingan. I almost died then. But Amanozako…the demon from the box…I became her host. And the pain stopped. She forced through the chakra passages I needed, regenerated my body at a cellular level." Sakura looked away, giving them time to process what she had told them. She started in surprise when warm arms went around her, but then relaxed into their warm and welcoming embrace. They smelled like sunshine. "Thank you, Naruto," she whispered. A cool hand on her shoulder caused her to look up. Sasuke wasn't smiling, but there was a look of understanding his eyes. He knelt down by her and joined in the embrace, though she noted her was careful to avoid touching Naruto.

Sakura knew he hadn't forgotten her earlier comments about his brother, nor was she forgiven for them, but Sasuke wasn't one to make a scene about what he considered to be clan business with an outsider like Chiyo present. Unless Itachi was there, in which situation all logic seemed to fly out the window. But for now the comfort and acceptance he offered in good faith was just as priceless as Naruto's unconditional support.

"I'm a little old to go joining in on group hugs, so you kids will just have to amuse yourselves. Don't have too much fun though." Kakashi's teasing voice just managed to not ruin the moment, but Chiyo's hoarse voice a moment later did the job. "Hugging two pretty boys? Never too old for that."

A/N: So what did you think? Good? Bad? Ugly? Please review and tell me. If you have ideas, feel free to send them. At any rate, thanks for reading.


	26. The Scorpion and the Thunder God

A/N: I'll start by apologizing. I'm very, very sorry. College has been a little overwhelming these last few months, so I've had neither the time nor energy to write. I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed my story even after my long absence. So, without further ado, the next installment of Five Kingdoms.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Some of the lines of this chapter are taken directly from the Viz translation of the manga, but the rest is my own invention.

-Five Kingdoms for the Dead-

Chapter 26

-The Scorpion and the Thunder God-

Sakura's fist still tingled with the feel of the chakra she'd channeled to break through the great rock that had sealed the entrance to the large cave she now found herself in. Emotionally she felt numb. She'd known the second she had seen the fallen Kazekage that they'd been too late. That she'd failed her mission. Because the Kazekage was dead.

Naruto's receding shouts as he chased the blond-haired Akatsuki were dull in her ears. Sasuke and Kakashi had chased after the enraged jinchuriki, leaving only Chiyo with Sakura to face the puppet standing in front of them.

It was the first time Sakura had ever failed a real mission. There'd been times, back when she was still with Team Seven, that they'd almost failed or things had turned out so incredibly different that their original mission hadn't been completed, but that was different. Together Team Seven had enough luck to balance out even Tsunade-sama's losing streak. They'd never really failed a mission.

In the years after that, when they'd been training under different masters, Sakura had never stopped going on missions. Sometimes they'd been solo, or the rare mission under Anko, or missions with the four man cell that was preparing her for induction into ANBU, but mostly they'd been mission with Neji. As a two-man cell, they were near unbeatable in their efficiency. It was part of what made them so attractive as prospective ANBU. Quick, composed, and if the situation called for it, absolutely lethal, they had never failed a mission. Never. The only other ninja to achieve that recognition within the last fifty years had been Uchiha Itachi.

And now she'd allowed the kage of Konoha's best ally to be killed. The least she could do to make up for it was to not allow anyone who had a hand in this to leave Suna alive.

Sakura was sure her eyes were as dead as the puppet she faced. Feeling was an unnecessary indulgence in battle. How many times had she been told that now? But Sakura privately thought that just a little edge of rage sharpened her in battle, the cold kind of rage that could wait for years, waiting for opportunity. It was a darker kind of rage than the pure, animalistic fury that Naruto channeled. When it was gone, it left him as it came. It cost Sakura, just a little, to hold cold fury in her heart.

"Well, with me here, you shouldn't worry Sakura," Chiyo said from where she stood next to Sakura.

Sakura had trained long and hard to be sure very little emotion expressed itself on her face when she tried to hide it. But it didn't matter. One the inside, somewhere a little outside and behind of the persona Sakura recognized as herself, Orochimar's lips turned in something that wasn't quite a smile. It was too cruel, too sharp for that. It was the type of smile that could draw blood.

_ Worry? Why would we worry? Perhaps you should warn Chiyo. She's a little old to play the kind of games Amanozako likes to play. Best not lose control, Sakura-chan._

_ I won't_, Sakura vowed silently. _I mustn't . _

Beside her, Chiyo released a barrage of kunai in a broad arc, controlling them with fine strings of chakra to be sure they hit their mark.

_Tsk. Pointless, _Orochimaru commented snidely from the inner darkness. Sakura hoped he wasn't going to provide commentary the entire battle. It was distracting and he knew it, which was probably half the reason why he did it.

As the dust cloud the puppet's movement kicked up cleared, Sakura saw that it hadn't been completely pointless. Now the horrendous thing was revealed in full.

"If you're going to play like that, I suppose you leave me no choice. So Chiyo-obaa-san…you want to join my collection then? Along with the brat behind you?" he taunted.

Sakura didn't like puppets much to begin with, but this one was especially disturbing. It crouched like a beetle, an enormous face on its carapace, a metallic scorpion's tail stretching from the mouth. Both legs, the face, and the right arm looked like they might once have all belonged to the same unfortunate human, but the left was obviously a later addition.

"First I pull out the entrails, skin the body clean…then I drain the blood, down to the last drop…"

"Sakura, that's not Sasori's body. It's just a puppet." Chiyo warned softly as their enemy taunted them.

"Add in a few preservatives…then just string up what's left and we have a brand new marionette. The hag is right. This form you see is just one piece of my collection. The two of you should bump up my oeuvre to three hundred exactly…that's my art!"

Despite herself, Sakura couldn't help but be a little fascinated. Sure, there were shinobi with higher body counts, especially the ones old enough to remember the Great Shinobi Wars, but none she knew of kept their enemies to use as weapons. It was more than a little ironic. But she wasn't going to die just so Sasori could have a nice, even kill number.

"Sorry to disappoint," Sakura said wryly, "but the only one dying today is you."

Without giving him time to respond, Sakura raced forward, moving as quickly as her eyes would allow her. She could strike faster, sacrificing sight for chakra sensing, but it was a dangerous move against an opponent who could conceal their signature as well as Sasori. Even she had trouble picking out his signature under the overlap of his puppet's chakra. That the thing even had a signature to begin with was the obvious result of it once being human, because none of Kankuro's puppets had a signature independent of their master's. It was that fact that allowed him to substitute them for himself indiscriminately.

Sasori's long tail flicked forward, but Sakura anticipated the movement. It was most obviously his front-line defense for the puppet body, as well as his primary offensive weapon. And she'd already seen how dexterous he was with its use, when he'd used to deflect Naruto's rashly thrown kunai. So she moved, just enough to avoid it, not enough to throw off her charge. Bounding forward a half-step, she took advantage of its extension, snapping a sideways kick that broke off most of the tail's length.

Sakura always counted on people to underestimate her. It gave her the extra seconds she needed, but Sasori wasn't just anyone. He was an Akatsuki member, which meant he evaluated quickly and with less discrimination than most people, upon seeing a little pink-haired girl.

The mouth of the puppet split open like a praying mantis's and a rain of senbon flew out, making Sakura flip backwards until she was safely out of range, once more back to Chiyo's side. She was good enough she could have avoided it and advanced, but she wanted to see just how quickly Sasori handled his puppets while there was only one puppet to fight. She'd seen Kankuro's additional puppets at the last chunnin exam and she had no doubt that Sasori was more than capable of handling multiple puppets.

Inwardly she frowned. There was no lapse time. He was reacting just as if he, himself, was the puppet. With Kankuro, there was a tiny pause in the time it took for him to evaluate and formulate a response to an attack and translate that response into movement with his puppets. If she ever faced off against the young puppet user, it would be that gap she would take advantage of.

She would also be able to anticipate Kankuro's movements by the signals he gave by manipulating the chakra strings with his fingers. Crouched inside the puppet as he was, Sakura was forced to face off against an opponent who gave off none of the indicators of attack a human would have. There was no change in facial expression, the direction of the gaze, or even muscle or heartbeat shifts. Until he decided to use it, it was just a puppet. It was like asking the kunai when it was about to attack, instead of the ninja that threw it.

"Be careful Sakura," Chiyo warned, "Sasori was a master of poisons even before he left the village. I can only imagine what he's like now."

Sakura nodded her acknowledgement, but didn't take her eyes off Sasori. With no visual indicators, she could only watch for attack and respond accordingly.

Noticing her inattention, Chiyo chuckled. "I wonder what you see when you look at me?" she asked, reaching up to remove her black cap and pulling the tie from her hair, "A helpless old woman or…." She left the sentence unfinished, letting her bone white hair fall around her age-worn face and assuming a battle stance with her fingers spread wide.

"Just count on me to watch your back. His experience doesn't even compare to mine."

With a sharp nod, Sakura acknowledged Chiyo's tacit permission that she assumes the lead. She had no doubt the old woman would take over if she didn't perform satisfactorily, but Sakura had no doubt now. She wasn't like Naruto. She didn't believe in long, drawn out battles. Not if they came down just to who had more chakra, because then she'd lose most of the time. Ninja who came from clans had deeper reservoirs than first generation ninja. Another fact she'd simply had to deal with. Oh, she could draw on Amanozako now without totally losing herself, but that was an option she didn't even want to contemplate.

The plan was simple. If she killed Sasori quickly enough, there would be no time for him to utilize his best weapons. She just had to be perfect. It would be like sparring with Neji, where every strike was a hit you couldn't afford to take. When Team Seven had returned, they'd been just playing in the forest. On good days, neither of them would be able to touch the other for hours at a stretch. In those situations, it was often a single connecting blow that decided the match. They were both that good.

"Are we all ready?" Sasori asked sarcastically. "I hate waiting. You must know that."

A little of that not-smile of Orochimaru's climbed into Sakura expression. "Sorry. Let me make it up to you."

With that she flashed forward, deftly avoiding another hailstorm of needles as Sasori detonated the puppet's left arm. The stub of a tail she'd left him with wasn't enough to protect the shell as she leaped into the air, bringing her fist crushing down into the center of the carapace. Little bits of puppet flew by, but Sakura ignored them as she looked for her real target. In the corner of her vision, a dark shape leaped out of the remains, retreating to a safe distance.

Narrowing her eyes, Sakura waited for the dust to clear and her first glimpse of Chiyo's grandson. She wasn't disappointed.

_Chiyo must have been something to see in her day, if this is her grandson,_ Sakura thought dryly to herself. _He probably had to become a dangerous nuke-nin just to compensate for being so pretty._

Orochimaru's laugh wasn't unexpected. _You certainly have a thing for pretty boys, don't you, Sakura-chan? Rough masculinity just doesn't do it for you?_

With an internal sigh, Sakura tried to ignore him. It wasn't like she could deny it.

_ Just think of it, Sakura-chan. If you don't break him too badly, you could just keep him. A life sized puppet, just for you. Keep him in your living room, dust him every so often. Stare at him when there isn't anything on TV._ His chuckle this time was so disturbing and Sakura was too busy being horrified that she missed the implications of his words.

Sasori's brand of good looks was what many would call angelic, delicate features without any hard angles to break the look. It was only when Chiyo gasped next to her that Sakura remembered. Sasori of the Red Sands had gone missing from Suna somewhere around twenty before. The man before her had never seen the other side of twenty-five.

"You broke Hiruko, but don't delude yourself into thinking this fight will be easy." Sasori's tone was even, unperturbed. Perhaps too unperturbed, in Sakura's opinion.

Pulling a scroll from inside his cloak, he presented a scroll. "Let me show you my favorite. You know, this one was hard to finish."

_Don't let him use that scroll Sakura. _Orochimaru advised.

_Well maybe if someone didn't want to stop and chat every time I battle someone, I wouldn't keep getting distracted._

_ You can't always blame your own weakness on others._

That was enough. Sakura could tell he was surprised when she took the scroll from his hand, craning his head around to stare at her with jade eyes that had widened ever so slightly, but Sakura didn't return give him time to react more than that. Her kick was fearsome, catching him between his shoulder blades, throwing him forward and knocking away his breath, if he had any. With the first touch to his cold fingers, Sakura had understood how he could continue to look so young. Sasori was a puppet.

Quickly stuffing the scroll deep into her own kunai pouch, Sakura flickered through the handsigns to produce kage bunshin, reproducing herself three times. Two she left to keep Sasori busy on the floor of the cavern.

The remaining one copied the original as they both shed the heavy weights that inhibited their speed. Sakura had surveyed her surroundings the moment they entered and knew that this cavern was perfect for this jutsu. A somewhat enclosed space, with air that was very dry.

Sakura had been taught about elemental chakra somewhat late in her three year training stint. Her early training, courtesy of Gai, had been solely in taijutsu, even though her Academy recommendations and early gennin evaluations had identified her as a primarily genjutsu type. Kakashi had never bothered to capitalize or encourage that talent (or any other, so far as Sakura was concerned) so it had been left to Anko-sempai to teach her. If her illusions therefore resembled Orochimaru's nightmares more than Kurenai's more docile though no less harmless mind tricks, Sakura was not to blame.

It had been the result of studying scrolls at the archives that Sakura learned a little about ninjutsu. Further inquiry about it from Yamato had yielded scant results, but she knew enough to talk chakra types. Kakashi, for example, was definitely lightning type, while Naruto was primarily wind. Sasuke was able to use the Chidori because, in addition to the tradition Uchiha element of fire, he used lightning as one of his natural elements. Neji's cousin Hinata was primarily water. All jounin level ninja were able to use at least two types of chakra, but the best, like the Sandaime and Orochimaruu, could use all elements with nearly equal ease.

Sakura's control of chakra was absolute. For her, manipulating chakra was like breathing. Like many prodigies, it made it difficult for her to teach others to control their chakra, so she could only parrot the advice she had read in Academy scrolls. Control wasn't something she had learned at the Academy, she only improved it as she grew older.

That was why she would be able to use this jutsu, though it was likely outside her natural element. She had never bothered to have her chakra tested. Sakura thought that half the reason ninja had such a difficult time manipulating elements outside their own was they were told it was difficult, so they believed it. She knew her own weakness to listening to people, so she avoided the temptation.

Sakura shook off her thoughts as she and her clone began to run in opposite directions, in ever widening circles with Sasori at the center. It was only peripherally that she registered his speech about using his body as a weapon and she ignored the match her clones were fighting. The only thing she concentrated on was speed. She even closed her eyes, because she knew if she kept them open she'd stay to the level that her eyes could process. With them closed, her only limit was how far she could stretch her muscles. Her brain could keep up with anything she threw it.

Sakura flinched as senbon dripping with poison pierced her as she sprinted, but she ignored it. Amanozako's chakra would keep the effects at bay until she had time to treat it properly. A time or two she had to leap what looked like mechanized intestine, but she didn't allow it to slow her down. By the time Sakura was circling dangerously close to the outside wall she had created an effect not unlike a concentrated hurricane. Chiyo had been forced back to the entrance of the cavern, far enough out of harm's way for Sakura to be satisfied.

She could feel it. Created by the combination of ultra-dry air and the friction of air molecules created by the opposing wind currents the two Sakuras had created, static electricity on a massive scale was building. With more sheer amperage than Kakashi's Raikiri or Sasuke's Chidori, it was like wielding natural lightning.

When it crawled through her body like Shino's bugs, Sakura broke the pattern, directing the surviving kage bunshins to distract Sasori for the critical second Sakura needed. It was hard to breathe in the dust they'd kicked up, but Sakura ignored her lungs demands for clean air. Instead her hands formed seals at a lightning speed that could almost, almost compare to Kakashi's. It was a long string, with more than twenty seals, which made it a jutsu impossible to use in normal combat conditions.

Sakura felt the death of her final clone just as her fingers closed on the last seal, but they had served their purpose. They'd kept Sasori from using his scrolls. She burst from the dust cloud on the tail of the sensation, leaping high into the air above Sasori, in the very eye of the storm she'd created. Tracing a circle with her hands, crackling trails of chakra followed her movement. When the movement was finished, she was suspended in a stylized pose, her toes pointed downward, body forming a straight line, left hand pointed to the earth, right hand pointed to the sky. All but the index and middle fingers of her hands were tucked into her palm. Everything to direct the gathering energy to a single point.

"Left Hand of the Thunder God," she whispered, because the chakra was too overwhelming to speak loudly. For another moment there was absolute silence and Sakura thought she could be like this, suspended between heaven and earth forever, but then the world moved.

Lightning in a crackling, tangled strike flowed through her and hit Sasori like the wrath of heaven descended. Its concentration was lost as it hit its target, branching off in fatal arcs like a quick-growing tree. It filled the room until it was a globe of pure power, running through Sakura and hurrying back into the earth. The thunder that followed was enough to rupture Sakura's eardrums, but she could feel Amanozako healing them, satisfied enough with the destruction she was wrecking to be generous.

It wasn't until a second roll of thunder that Sakura became worried. Glancing at the ceiling, she watched as the great rocks that formed the roof of the cave began to fall. As she landed next to the now lifeless body of Sasori, she hoped that Chiyo had escaped safely.

xxx

Chiyo had been fairly impressed when the young girl from Konoha had healed Kankuro in a seemingly effortless display that none of the medics in Suna had been able to match. But Chiyo was a poisoner to her core, so she had never been really impressed with medics to begin with. They were frustrating, yes, but they lacked that certain something that made a ninja truly dangerous. To Chiyo, they spent so much of their time saving lives they forgot a ninja's primary purpose was taking living.

She'd noted a little special ops training when they traveled, but it wasn't until they met the Uchiha clone that she'd been made dangerously aware of the girl. In those brief minutes, before she'd ruined the illusion by getting all touchy-feely with her team, she'd seen the kind of monster that villages would have fought over in the Great Wars. A shinobi. A weapon, to be carefully handled and put out of sight when the battle was done.

But there was something about Sakura. Something that lulled Chiyo, with all her years of battle experience, into an easy complacency. It was hard to take her as a threat. Not like that other Uchiha boy or the White Fang's son. More like that yellow haired jinchuriki, but it wasn't that either. Naruto was so refreshing honest he was irritating, but there was 'off' feel to Sakura. Like whatever was waiting behind those cheerful green eyes was darker than the Kyuubi.

She was thinking all these things as she watched the storm the girl had created consume the room. A shiver ran down Chiyo's old spine. This was an awful kind of power. As if in answer, she watched in frozen disbelief as the ceiling fell in and the walls collapsed after the echoing sonic boom the lightning created. Just before she disappeared from sight under the rubble, she made eye contact with the girl. There was something unfathomable blooming in those verdant eyes.

xxx

Sakura woke to pain, but that wasn't as unusual as it had once been, so she ignored it. Until she realized that the pain was in body parts she didn't normally possess. Sakura grimaced and tried to flex the over-sized black wings that had appeared while she was unconscious, but the shooting pain convinced it might not be a particularly good idea. It was pitch dark around her, so Sakura dug in her bag for an emergency flare. As the bright light lit the area, she took in what had happened.

Her wings had formed a dome, stopping the debris from hitting her and creating a neat pocket of air that she could just stand up in. By the way they hung deadly from her back, it had shattered every bone in them to do it, but she was alive. And, she found in surprise, Sasori's body was next to her and undamaged as well.

By a cursory inspection it appeared that he didn't have any surface burning, but the lightning channeling through him had burst his heart, or in this case, his power core.

Sakura glanced around once more. She'd have to leave before she ran out of air, but it would have to wait. Channeling the lightning like that didn't hurt, exactly, but it led to an overstimulation that made it hard to move her muscles properly. If the jutsu had failed, the muscles would have been fixed in a few moments either by Sakura's own chakra or Amanozako's, but thanks to the half-transformation due to the cave-in, she'd have to bear with it for a few minutes.

With nothing better to do, Sakura took another look at Sasori's body.

"What would make a person do this to themselves?" she asked out loud.

_Says the girl who became a demon host of her own free will._

_ Not helping, Orochimaru._ Sakura scowled, because he had a point. She really dislike when he did that.

_ You should probably collect his scrolls. Maybe seal him in a scroll as well. I'm glad you took my advice. He'll liven up that apartment of yours._

Sakura wished there was a way to really give a dark look to something that only existed in her mind. "You're not seriously suggesting I take him home?"

_ And why not? He is a puppet. Someday he might be useful, _Orochimaru pointed out practically.

"Well, I'm not a puppetmaster."

Sakura got the impression that Orochimaru actually doubled over, he was laughing so hard.

"What is your problem?" Sakura said irritably, adding in her head, besides the fact she was schizophrenic.

The look in his golden eyes was sly as he answered. _Nothing, Sakura-chan. Just imagining you, as Sasori-kun's 'master'. _

Sakura wondered what she'd done so wrong in a past life to deserve something like this.

_ Come on Sakura-chan. Lighten up. Besides, this is a pawn you won't mind losing, ne? Think of him as a substitution for someone a little more precious. Besides, you can always use new jutsu. How hard can it be to learn puppetry?_

"Given that people study it their whole lives? Pretty hard."

_ Ah, but they don't have your control, do they, Sakura-chan?_

Because if nothing else, it would get Orochimaru to shut up about it, Sakura decided she might as well seal Sasori's body in a scroll. If nothing else, she could hand it over to Chiyo when she was topside again. Sakura pulled out a pre-prepped storage scroll, modifying it a little to hold a body. Her hand brushed against the first scroll she'd taken from Sasori as she dug in her pouch for one, the one he'd called his 'favorite'. She wondered idly what was sealed in it, then ignored it in favor of the task ahead.

Sakura had no idea how to get either the bladed wings on his back or his metallic intestines to retract. Her hand hovered briefly over his body, hesitating. Why she wasn't sure, which was enough to get her to touch the cold skin of the body.

It was like the world lurched. Her skin burned, but she was freezing cold. Sakura wanted to throw up, but couldn't get enough air to breath. She crumbled bonelessly forward, involuntary tears forming as it shifted her broken wings as she sprawled across Sasori's bared chest. Her head lay over the core that had once kept him alive. It made for an uncomfortable pillow, she thought a little hysterically.

Then it was over. "What was that?" Sakura asked, shivering and noticing her skin was covered with a fine sheen of sweat. The soreness of her muscles had disappeared, but it wasn't enough to make up for that unpleasant experience.

_Curious._ Orochimaru's voice sounded sincere for once. _Perhaps it would be best if you sealed him quickly, without touching him, if you can?_

Sakura wasn't looking forward to a repeat performance, but nothing happened as she completed the jutsu and stored the scroll in her pack. Whatever it was, she could think about it later. There was no telling how deeply she was buried and the air was getting warm, which meant there was none flowing in.

Punching her way out was out of the question, so she relied on her sparse earth jutsu. As she crawled out of the crevice she'd created, strong hands gripped her hands and pulled her the rest of the way from the ground.

They were familiar hands and she welcomed them gladly.

"You missed all the fun, Neji," Sakura said, smiling brightly, a genuine smile full of fond friendship.

"I'm so disappointed," he said dryly, looking at the pile of rubble she'd just crawled from. Then his eyes lighted on her back. "Sakura?"

"Oh. I've got something very important to tell you." Sakura begged him with her eyes to please not be mad.

"It's fine," he said, activating his kekkai genkai so he could look at the tattered feathers more closely. "I'm just glad you're safe." He drew closer so he could whisper in her ear and not be overheard. "But you _will_ tell me what is going on."

This time her smile rivaled the lightning that filled the cave.

A/N: So, what do you think? It's been a while since I wrote, so it might have a slightly different feel. As always, reviews are appreciated.


	27. Scorpion's Wake

A/N: (Cackles madly) I finished it. I finished this chapter in a reasonable length of time! Hah…I'm so pathetic.

Disclaimer: I own no part of the Naruto franchise. Just this plot.

Five Kingdoms for the Dead

-Chapter 27-

Scorpion's Wake

"Neji,I--" Sakura began, but Neji shook his head sharply.

"If it doesn't affect the mission, it might be best left to later," he said softly. Sakura simply stared up at him for a moment, before her brain caught up to her moment of emotion.

_That's right, _Sakura thought,_ the mission isn't over yet._

The admiration she always carried with her for her dark-haired partner deepened. If this had been Naruto or Sasuke they would have demanded information right away, no matter what sort of audience was watching. Even last night, when they had questioned her, not for a moment did they think of the wisdom of talking while Chiyo was present. And as much as she admired the woman, Sakura knew she wouldn't hesitate in using the information she had gained if she thought it was for the good of Suna.

Both Sasuke and Naruto were unable to separate their emotions from the mission, which made for unstable ninja. In Naruto it was easy to see, but Sasuke too, when his emotions were roused, was unable to maintain that emotional distance that allowed a ninja to judge their next action. The middle of battle was just as good a place as anywhere else to air their grievances for them. Neji wasn't like that.

Sakura didn't doubt that Neji was equal parts concerned and intrigued, but he would wait patiently to be told, when the spread of information didn't pose a potential threat to the village. That alone made him a better ninja than either of the other members of Team Seven.

He would also never show open affection on a mission, but he radiated a warmth that was just as good as an over-enthusiastic hug from Naruto. Neji's pearlescent eyes were soft with emotion, in which Sakura read just how much Neji had worried for her safety. Usually those silver eyes were as reflective as a mirror the instant a mission began, not thawing until the mission ended.

_When this mission ends, there will be no more secrets between us,_ Sakura vowed. Then quickly amended that thought. _Well, maybe not. _Orochimaru laughed softly at that.

Sakura could feel a spreading numbness from her crumpled wings, but they hadn't yet receded, which was worrying. Not the numbness, because she wasn't sure that demons perceived pain in the same way, but that even though the battle was over and there had been no bloodshed to entertain Amanozako, her chakra was still flowing steadily beneath and through Sakura's own.

Sakura had become talented at ignoring little irritations like that, so instead she returned her focus to the mission. "I understand," she said softly, feeling as her facial expression relaxed into the placid mask that was the result of so much training and the black feathers drifted off as fine dust. _The mission isn't over until the objective is achieved. _

_ Oh, my, you sound angry Sakura-chan. Be careful or this next battle might end explosively._

xxx

When Neji first saw the ruin of the cavern, he would have sworn his heart stopped for a moment. He knew his breath caught in his throat, his lungs clenched tight with an emotion he was nearly unfamiliar with. Hyuuga Neji didn't fear much in his life, but when he looked at that pile of rubble, black scorch marks scored on the rocks, for a little space he knew fear.

"Neji, see if you can locate them!" Gai ordered. Neji had briefly deactivated his Byakugan after the battle with his doppleganger to conserve chakra, but now he focused his chakra so sharply into his eyes it was almost painful.

"There! Lee, that boulder that's about twenty feet from where the entrance once was! Chiyo-sama is there."

Lee bounded over to where Neji directed him without question. He called back, "One of her arms is pinned and she's unconscious, but otherwise she looks unharmed!"

Neji nodded in acknowledgement as Tenten went to help their teammate, but he was already desperately scanning the rest of the disaster area.

"What happened here?" Gai pondered aloud by Neji's shoulder.

"Whatever it was, it left a lot of remnant chakra. It'll take time to locate Sakura," Neji said distractedly. "She doesn't appear to have been thrown outside the main impact point, so it's likely she was at the center when it collapsed."

Gai clasped him by the shoulder a little harder than was strictly necessary. "You'll find her. I have faith in the power of your youth!"

One part of Neji was intent on locating Sakura, but a small part of him was left free to wonder how Gai could say such a ridiculous statement so solemnly and with so much conviction.

"Chiyo-sama's coming to!" Tenten shouted, but all the noise from that quarter was reduced to a dull buzzing. His keen eyes had picked up the first movement from the earth, caused by an familiar chakra signature that was slightly distorted by something he couldn't quite see.

Leaping to area, he was there when the deceptively small hands with their long, delicate fingers broke the surface, saw the relief in those emerald eyes when he took hold of her an d pulled her from the earth. It was like plucking a flower, he thought giddily in his relief. He was so distracted, it took him a moment to notice the appendages that Sakura had not had the last time he'd seen her.

Crumpled and limp, the wings hung from her back, covered in great black feathers that were so tattered they should have been molted a season or two ago. But they didn't matter, not really. Because Sakura was alive. All problems could be handled in due time. Now he could just be grateful.

xxx

Sakura watched as Lee and Tenten fussed over Chiyo, insistent on examining her right arm until she finally revealed it was simply a replacement, intended for use alongside her puppetry. Sakura scowled in distaste, but she really had no room to criticize a person for modifying their own body.

Chiyo meanwhile, was busy staring at Sakura. Once Tenten and Lee had satisfied themselves and backed off, she started the questions Sakura knew would come.

"That was a much shorter battle than I anticipated. I wonder, how did you know to take the scroll?"

Sakura answered Chiyo truthfully. "As part of my training, I was familiarized with the strengths and weaknesses off all the major disciplines used in foreign villages. As the Puppet Corps is a major faction in Suna, I studied it as well. Because it is such a difficult discipline, ninja that utilize that style are rarely trained in any other style of combat. Without their puppets, many puppeteers are useless."

Chiyo grudgingly acknowledged the point. "But still, Sasori wasn't a pushover."

"No, but he was arrogant and underestimated us. He went too long without losing and forgot that he could lose. A ninja's greatest weapon is surprise. The match was decided in that split second that I tried for the scroll and he let it slip from his grasp. If he had been able to match my speed, the battle could have turned out very differently." Sakura tried not to dwell on just how differently. If she'd been affected by his poison, been slower, been a thousand different things, it was very possible that the battle could have went in Sasori's favor.

Chiyo sighed heavily and shook her head. "My cute, foolish grandchild. The lightning was a good idea on your part, but in any other battle, the handsigns and build-up are excessively long. Not to mention it was simply luck that it didn't go out of control and kill us both, along with Sasori."

Sakura had thought the area perfect, but given how it had turned out, she couldn't help but agree with Chiyo. "You're right. But the battle didn't last long enough for Sasori to get desperate."

"Not a good idea to wait to see the aces he had up his sleeve, eh?" Chiyo laughed. "Smart move. If you live long enough, you're going to be a power. I can see it now." Her gaze turned rather sadly on the ruins.

"Ah," Sakura said, pulling two scrolls that contained Sasori and his favorite puppet from her pack. "I have Sasori's body, if you'd like it. The lightning didn't damage it badly."

Chiyo's eyes lingered on the scrolls sadly, but then she waved her hand. "Keep it. Sasori was a traitor to the village. Only a traitor's burial awaits him. Do what you want with it. Keep the puppet scrolls, if you like, as well. You'll have to turn over any scrolls with information in them to Suna, but that can wait until we reach the village."

Sakura blinked. "Can you do that?"

"I'm Sasori's next-of-kin, so I inherit everything after his death. His puppets are mine to do with as I please, and I don't want corpse mannequins finding their way into Suna. That's trouble waiting to happen. Besides, I'm not going to teach you to use them," Chiyo smirked. "Take good care of my cute grandson, won't you?"

Sakura didn't have a response to that, so she turned to Gai, her senior. "Since Sasori has been eliminated, do we pursue his partner?"

Gai rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Kakashi has both Naruto and Sasuke with him, but it won't hurt to lend our support. Sakura, how much chakra do you have left?"

It took her a moment to access her chakra, given how much of Amanozako's was still weaving itself more tightly into her coils, but Sakura finally answered. "About 60%."

That gained Chiyo's attention. "Impossible. I saw that jutsu of yours. That shouldn't be possible without a massive chakra expenditure."

Team Gai turned inquiring gazes to Sakura, which she did her best to ignore. "My attack, 'Left Hand of the Thunder God', isn't a normal lightning ninjutsu. Typical ninjutsu uses the user's own chakra to produce an element, which is then utilized in an attack. Instead, I use the friction of extreme speeds to produce static electricity, build it to the amperage of natural lightning, then the hand sign gather and channel it. My chakra expense is minimal, but the jutsu itself is dangerous. After I release the lightning, I lose all control of it, which is why I couldn't use it if I had allies in the area or if we were in a less contained area. It's a single combat only technique." It also required perfect chakra control to harness, which was the reason Sakura wasn't afraid to reveal the secret of the technique. Once, that chakra control might have found Sakura in the medical field, but that was no longer an option.

There was a silence after her speech, but finally Gai snapped out of it. "All right. Then, with the fires of our youth burning brightly, let us advance!"

Lee punched his fist into the air. "Yosh! Let's go!"

They automatically fell into an offensive pattern as they started running. Neji took point, the others straggling themselves into a V that contained Gai and Lee as the front guard by Neji because their specialty was close combat, Tenten and Sakura on the edges as they could maintain distance combat. Chiyo was kept in the open end of the V so they could support her if it came to fighting. Even if she had volunteered for a combat mission, she was still a valuable elder of Suna.

Their pace was good, so it wasn't long until they reached Kakashi and the others. By her former sensei's stance, she knew that he was worried. Naruto was hunched over the Kazekage's body like a wounded animal and Sasuke was standing to one side attempting to look distant and failing.

Naruto wouldn't move, not even to let Chiyo better examine Gaara. Finally, she just smacked him in the back of the head.

"What was that for?!" Naruto demanded, tears of helplessness and rage pooling in the corners of his eyes.

"If you get out of my way, baka, I might be able to do something. He hasn't been dead long." Naruto shuffled off to one side, his animalistic features giving way to more human emotions. Once, Sakura might have tried to comfort him, might have cried with him, but just now she could only stand to one side and be as impassive as Sasuke was trying to look.

Tenten and Lee both hovered, Gai and Kakashi stood quietly, which left her and Neji to flank Sasuke. Everyone waited with a silent vigilance for Chiyo to make her pronouncement.

"Hey, kid," Chiyo said finally.

"Yeah?" Naruto asked miserably, not even protesting at being called 'kid'.

"What exactly is between you and the Kazekage? You only met him once. Why do you try so hard for him?"

Naruto was so quiet Sakura thought he wasn't going to answer. "I could have been him. I could have been just like him. When I met him, I told him I would become Hokage. I told him I would show him I could become someone. Someone who was admired. Loved. Then he went and became the Kazekage and doesn't even have the decency to wait for me to become Hokage? I can't accept that. I can't accept that."

As she watched, Sakura realized he was shaking, so intense was his emotion. Sakura tried to remember the last time she'd reacted like that. It was long ago, that was for certain. Here, in the midst of a tragedy, Sakura felt a little sadness for herself and felt ashamed.

"All right," Chiyo announced, "everyone but the kid, go."

That sparked a reaction. "What?" Naruto asked, verbalizing the question on everyone's minds.

"This is a forbidden technique. I'm not worried about this baka here copying it, but the copy-nin, the Uchiha brat, Sakura, and the white-eyes have to leave. I'll be generous and let the others stay, but the three of you, I want outside the Byakugan's range."

Kakashi and Gai exchanged a look, then nodded at each other. "All right," Kakashi said, running a hand through his hair lackadaisically. "Sasuke, Sakura, Neji, you're with me."

They waited at the ruin of the former Akatsuki base. Sakura drew Neji off a little from the members of Team Kakashi and told him, haltingly, of Amanozako. He listened patiently, rarely asking for clarification, watching her so piercingly Sakura thought he might be able to see down into her soul and perceive the demon. When she finished, Sakura lowered her gaze to the ground, somehow hesitant to see his reaction.

"Sakura," he said softly. Neji almost always spoke softly, but there was extra warmth in his voice, coaxing her to meet his gaze. His eyes were soft again. "Sakura, thank you for telling me."

"You're not angry?" Or astonished, or the other emotions Sakura was certain he should have been feeling, instead of quiet acceptance.

"You know me better than that," he chided. "And I know you better than that. These eyes of mine see everything." He brought his hand up and tucked fallen strands of candyfloss pink hair behind the curve of her ear.

"You've been my partner for three years. I see you more than your parents. Did you really think I didn't notice how strange your chakra was? It's been getting worse, slowly. Sometimes, when you came back from solo missions, your chakra didn't really look like yours at all."

"So you knew?" It wasn't quite an accusation, but it came close.

"I knew something. Not everything. I was waiting for you to tell me. I knew you would."

Sakura was torn between the urge to laugh and the urge to cry. A strangled chuckle was the result. The burden of that much trust was enormous. It was easier when no one expected anything of her. "Can your eyes see the future now?"

A smile, perfectly arrogant, flickered across Neji's face. "Of course. "

Sakura laughed, a peal of bells in the desolate landscape, trailing off into silence. "Thank you, Neji."

"You're welcome, Sakura." The arrogant smile softened, became something more approachable. "But I am a little disappointed."

"Why?" Sakura asked curiously.

"I thought you would trust me a little more. When you were telling me, you had a look like you thought I would hate you." He didn't say what was written in his eyes, that he had thought their friendship ran deeper than that. That wasn't in Neji's nature, but Sakura had a rapport with him built by long teamwork. More than with Sasuke or Naruto, who baffled her at every term, or Kakashi, who was purposefully opaque, Neji was someone she understood, and was understood in turn.

"Sorry," Sakura apologized. "I didn't...," she trailed off, unsure of how to explain. She hadn't hated Naruto when she discovered he contained the Kyuubi, so why had she expected Neji to react differently?

"It's difficult to trust in the understanding of others, isn't it?" Neji ruminated, like he was remembering his own experiences.

"Mm." Silent in mutual understanding, she and Neji stood watch, waiting for Naruto and the others to return.

xxx

Kakashi was watching his favorite pupil out of the corner of his eye. Watching Sasuke silently fume was better entertainment than Icha Icha Violence, which he'd read several times through. The reason for his silent temper tantrum was obvious, though if he asked Sasuke why, the boy probably wouldn't be able to answer.

As soon as they'd reached the hideout, which had been reduced to a ruin that made him raise an eyebrow but had drawn no explanation from his former student, Sakura had drawn Neji just out of hearing distance. No sound hadn't prevented their heart-to-heart from transmitting itself blatantly throughout the general area. If he didn't know better (and couldn't read lips) he might have thought they were over there confessing to one another.

He'd heard, both from Sakura and from the Godaime, that she and Neji had been working together, but their aura was formidable. Genin were assigned to groups of three for cohesive teamwork, but worked practically in a group of four with their jounin-sensei. Chunin were often sent out in groups of three, one of the teammates taking the lead. But jounin were often sent out in groups of two, if they were sent in groups at all.

Usually a gennin stayed with the same people over the entire foreseeable future of their career as ninja until they reached the very highest ranks, promoting a unity that was almost like mind-reading between them. Sakura and Neji acted and reacted to each other with a seamlessness, present even in mundane interaction, that spoke of a long, hard climb. It was no wonder Sasuke felt the pair unapproachable.

He strolled over to where his student was glowering and ruffled his hair, turning those dark eyes toward him. "What do you want, Kakashi?" While Naruto and Sakura might slip up and call him 'sensei' occasionally, once Sasuke had learned to quit the title, he'd dropped all semblance of respect.

"Nothing at all, but if you glare any harder, you're bound to set something on fire." Sasuke shoved the hand resting on his head off with violence.

"I'm not glaring. You're seeing things, old man." Kakashi was offended. Just how old did his students-turned-comrades think he was?

Deftly taking out his book and opening to his marked page with a single movement through long practice, Kakashi comforted the sulking Uchiha. "Don't worry. I'm sure she'll look behind her from time to time to see you and Naruto."

The glare intensified. Kakashi sighed. "You were her first teammates. She won't just forget you, you know."

"She promised," Sasuke retorted sullenly. "When she brought me back from Orochimaru, she promised. That we'd be teammates." His voice dropped lower and his aspect turned darker. "That she'd help me achieve my revenge. Now she's breaking that promise."

Kakashi wanted to sigh again, but then he might really start to sound like an old man. "Sasuke. You don't own her." When he opened his mouth to protest, Kakashi brought the spine of his book down on his head. "And she can't read your mind. If you have something to say, say it to her. You know there's a reason why she stopped you when we encountered Itachi."

"And what reason is that?"

Kakashi thought about it a while, ran a hand through his silver hair, then said, "I don't know. Why don't you ask her?"

Kakashi could almost see Sasuke's urge to smack himself in the forehead with his palm. A smile played behind his mask. Kakashi was curious as well, but mostly he simply thought that Sakura had been wise to stop Sasuke's headlong rush. Whatever she might know about Itachi might well be classified, but Kakashi had few doubts that he'd hear it eventually.

Looking at his most confused student, Kakashi softened a little. "She really won't forget you. She won't leave you behind, either."

Sasuke looked at Sakura with something longing and almost hungry in his eyes. "How can you be so sure?"

Kakashi opened his mouth to answer, but realized he had no answer for Sasuke. He didn't know this Sakura well enough to say. Three years was a vast gap of time for an active ninja. And this Sakura was nothing at all like the one he remembered. So he kept his silence and Sasuke's hopeful look dimmed to something sad, but resigned. Kakashi realized something at that moment.

As hungry and attention-starved as Naruto was, in his own way, Sasuke was equally dependent upon others. He might play cool, but he needed, in a desperate manner, someone to pay attention to him. In his youth, Kakashi remembered, he'd stood in the shadow of his brother, never receiving the attention and approval he needed from his father. At some level, that had undermined his confidence, leading him to look to his brother and mother.

After his brother's betrayal, Sasuke had lost those pillars of support. Teachers had filled in, but were unable to fill the gaping hole in the young child's psyche, the one that would have allowed him to recover from the horrific massacre. Instead, he was left still seeking his brothers approval and acknowledgement. Even if he had to kill him to receive it.

For a little while, it had looked like his teammates could be the support he needed. Then a disastrous series of events had almost doomed that as well, but with Sakura's intervention things had looked up. For the first time, Kakashi thought Sasuke might want to be saved. But now his feelings were wavering. Naruto was steadfast, an immovable obstacle of determined brotherhood, so there was no danger there. The danger was Sakura, Sasuke's sweet, gentle Sakura, who had turned into someone Sasuke didn't know. It would be she who determined how this ended.

xxx

When Naruto returned, it was with Gaara, but he carried Chiyo's body. The elder had sacrificed her life through her forbidden jutsu in order to return life to the Kazakage. Sakura felt a little grief for the elder who she'd known for so short a time, but mostly it was simply a simple awe that as a ninja she'd been able to do so much for her country.

It was at that point that the Sand delegation caught up to their party and the joyful reunion between siblings occurred. It was obvious that he was loved. Sakura caught Naruto looking at him, half in friendship, half in jealousy. The group, as a whole, traveled back to Suna, where Sakura rapidly inventoried the scrolls she'd obtained in the quiet of her hotel room. She was sharing a room with Tenten, but the other kunoichi was out enjoying the festival that the Kazekage's return had developed into.

Besides the scroll that Sakura had mentally labeled the 'Favorite', he'd been carrying one that made her blood run cold to see. Typically puppeteers sealed each puppet into separate scrolls, because they could not control more than a few puppets at a time, but Sasori had sealed hundreds of puppets into a single scroll.

Sakura ran her fingers over the inked surface of the scroll. _He could use this?_

_ Makes you shiver, doesn't it? All that power, squandered in an instant by a pathetic existence like yours._

_ Your support is appreciated, _Sakura retorted sarcastically. But it was in that moment that she realized exactly how true what she'd said to Chiyo was. If she hadn't taken that scroll, if she hadn't finished him off while he was still confident he would win, there was no telling how the battle would have gone.

Sasori had only carried a few other scrolls with him, only one of which interested Sakura. It listed only the time and meeting place for an unnamed informant. Anything worded so vaguely was of interest to Sakura. As she was picking up the scroll to examine it more closely, a knock came at the door of her room.

"Yes?" Sakura called. The door opened, and Sakura had to smother a gasp when she saw who entered. "Kazekage-sama!"

A/N: As always, reviews are always appreciated. Thank you to all who reviewed the last chapter.

Also, thanks to stargazing-sweetie, who pointed out a misspelling in this chapter.


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